


Voltron Gems 2

by CircusTalia



Series: Voltron Gem AU [2]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon), Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, Fusions, M/M, Self-Indulgent, Shapeshifting, Size Difference, Voltron Gem AU, gem au, writing out what I can't draw
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-06
Updated: 2019-02-22
Packaged: 2019-05-01 11:02:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 27,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14519082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CircusTalia/pseuds/CircusTalia
Summary: New challenges await the Voltron gems as their bonds are put to the test. From new developments in the team, to a diamond they didn't know existed taking over the Galra Empire, they'll have to overcome these challenges to create a better tomorrow for the universe.





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Shiro gone, a new threat is on the horizon.

The castle had an air of discomfort as everyone reconvened. Shiro wasn't found anywhere near the desolate planet where he had last been seen and news of another diamond's existence placed fear in the hearts of the Earth gems and Alteans.

"How could you have not told us there was another Diamond?!" Allura barked, hands on her hips as she glared at the Blade. 

"That was a mistake on our part," Kolivan's face remained neutral although he had difficulty looking Allura in the eyes. "We assumed that once Zarkon Diamond was defeated, it would be less difficult for Voltron to eradicate Lotor Diamond."

Hunk raised a hand. "Uh, yeah, I get where you're coming from and all, but would anyone like to tell us who this Lotor Diamond is?"

Kolivan moved his gaze to Antok, tilting his head. Antok pressed on a few buttons on his arm when a hologram of a mural of Lotor Diamond appeared.

"Lotor Diamond was created eons ago. Not much information is known about him, even within the Empire. All we know is that he is in charge of the," he paused for a bit, "less desirable gems so to speak."

Lance looked across the room and noticed Sven shuffling his feet and looking away from the screen.

"And what exactly does he do?" Keith crossed his arms.

"From our understanding, he mainly oversees weapons production and a few prisons. He keeps his projects under wraps; very few have access to his plans, fewer that are in his entourage."

"Entourage?"

Kolivan stepped to the side as Sven came forward. The mural of Lotor Diamond rose up as four shots of four different gems, all women, appeared on screen. Three of them were blue with only one red. There was a muscular one with fur, another that lacked eyes, and one that appeared the most normal next to the red one.

"You are aware that Zarkon Diamond had his own court of gems. This is Lotor's court," the muscular one's shot was highlighted, "this is his Jasper, Zethrid. With her brute strength, she has trained and fought against the most elite of gem armies." Next was the red one. "His Ruby, Ezor. She possesses cloaking abilities that allow her to retrieve information her Diamond desires."

"I didn't know rubies could camouflage," Pidge looked up inquisitively, mouth forming an 'oh.'

"That is not her gem powers. Those come from her flesh side."

"Flesh side? They're half-gems?" Keith's eyes widened a bit.

Half-gems were not a new concept. There had been a few on Earth. But they never would have thought Homeworld of all places would allow for gem-hybrids to exist.

"Of course," Sven answered. "Lotor Diamond himself is not a full gem, either. Thus, half-gems are handed over to him." He took a moment to realize how wrong that sounded. To the Diamonds, they were, by and large, merely tools for them to use for their own power. The picture of the one without eyes was next to be highlighted.

"Narti, his Sapphire, is as accurate with her predictions as she is with her skills. She may be blind to what is in front of her, but she knows who is her enemy." He raised his hand. "With a single touch, she can take over your whole body."

Lance, Hunk, and Pidge couldn't help but shiver at the thought.

The last one was a blue gem with short hair. "Lotor Diamond does not own a pearl of his own. Rather, he prefers having a right hand gem at his side. His blue spinel, Acxa, is the one he trusts the most. She has the skill, leadership, and all qualities to make her a threat should we be up against her." Keith's focus was on her. He knew he hadn't seen her before, but something felt off about her. The highlight was removed and Kolivan took over once more.

"Due to the tight-knit nature of Lotor Diamond, we cannot provide any accurate hypotheses to his plans. All we know is that with Zarkon Diamond gone, that leaves him to take over the Empire."

"And with him taking over, that's more trouble for us," Keith furrowed his brows.

"Precisely."

"So now what do we do?" Allura tightened the grip on her waist. "We can't just be sitting ducks while he continues what Zarkon started."

"You are right, your highness. Our best course of action is to delay any progress the Empire might make with Lotor's reign whilst you find another way to form Voltron."

"But we can't form Voltron without Shiro," Keith nearly snarled. "We need to find him first."

"We aren't saying you shouldn't, but we don't know how long that could take," Ulaz pointed out.

"Then we better get started." 

Keith had no idea what he was doing. He wasn't one to give orders just like that. But without Shiro, they were lost. He was lost. All anyone really knew, even if it wasn't spoken much, was that Shiro had chosen Keith to take the lead if anything were to happen to him.

"There...may be a way to find Shiro," Pidge said softly.

"What is it?!" He nearly jumped on her for answers, but managed to hold himself back, only allowing his quick turn to her give any indication to his impatience to hear her answer.

She put her hands behind her back after adjusting her goggles. "Do you recall the Looking Glass?"

* * *

A new plan was set in motion. There was still a chance to find Shiro and get him back. The Blade of Marmora agreed that with Zarkon Diamond no longer in the picture, now would be easier to free colonies from gem rule. Thus, they would spread out to different parts of the universe to drive away gem invaders and free the lifeforms that had been subjugated to the Galra. In the meantime, the Alteans and Earth gems would retrieve the Looking Glass and return with Shiro to form Voltron again.

The plan was to reconvene once Shiro was retrieved. While a few Blade members had tried to question the possibility of either not finding the black star diopside or worse, Keith would quiet them immediately. He was determined to get his love back. He lost him before. And then he was found. It would be like then, except it wouldn't be so long for them to be separated.

The rest of his team looked at him with worry, but they knew there wasn't much they could do. Shiro was important to all of them and they wanted him back as well. They just wished Keith would realize that anything could go wrong. And with that thought, Lance had to separate from his friends for a bit as he searched for his own diopside.

 

Sven was headed in the direction of the garage when he heard footsteps running towards him. He looked around to see the lapis lazuli nearly screeching to a halt the closer he got to him.

"Lance?"

Lance balanced himself upward, looking at Sven with desperation.

"Look, I know we haven't known each other for very long," he started. "And I know we have other things to worry about and we just unloaded a lot of luggage to one another."

"Luggage?" Sven perked an eyebrow.

"It's a figure of speech." He shook his head. "Anyway, the point I'm getting at is," he put a hand behind his neck. "What I wanna say is," he looked up at Sven with pleading eyes. "I'll come back if you come back."

Did that make sense? He probably wasn't making sense. He knew he shouldn't have done this. He-

Sven enveloped Lance's free hand in his own hands. 

"Is that promise?" 

Lance gulped. "Uh...yeah, I guess."

He was taken by surprise when Sven pulled him in for an embrace. But despite the shock, he managed to return it just the same. They pulled away, Sven giving Lance a nod.

"I promise. I return to you, and you return to me."

"Y-yeah. It's a promise." His heart kept pounding as Sven walked forward. "Well....goodbye."

Sven looked over his shoulder one more time. "I believe expression should be see you later." He continued his way to the ship he would be leaving on.

Lance felt a little guilty. He tapped his thumbs together as he returned to the main deck. Now probably wasn't the right time to be pinning over a new crush. But if Shiro could disappear, who's to say anyone else wouldn't? He didn't want to risk not saying goodbye and something bad happening to Sven, too. At the very least, he was able to do it privately. Keith would have likely barked at him to keep his mind focused on finding Shiro. Which was important, of course. But Lance's heart couldn't take another departure without a farewell. 

He returned in time for Hunk to brief him in on where they were headed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. I hope this was worth the wait. I know I said this would come out soon and I am so sorry that soon turned into "not that soon." To make it up to you, I am posting three chapters at once this time around, so I hope these would have made the wait worth it. There are two other chapters that I'll post at a later time (not saying soon again because we just saw how that turned out). I'm very excited to continue developing this AU and I hope you look forward to more Voltron Gems content.


	2. Chapter 2

The paladins landed on a rather desolate planet. There didn’t seem to be much to it, although it didn’t look like it had been dying. There were still streams of water and at least a little bit of plant life. It was all the more odd that there weren’t any Galra troops protecting what was supposed to be on this planet.

Keith pulled up a screen for the team to see.

“Alright, guys, remember that we’re searching for the Looking Glass,” from the screen was a three dimensional model of a golden crystal. “If we can get our hands on it, we'll find Shiro.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. They began to search the land. It was hard to believe that a planet as empty as this could hold any life.

“Are we sure this is the place it’s at?” Pidge asked. “I thought something like the Looking Glass would be in a place of mirrors, or water, or anything that isn’t this. But I mean, I guess maybe there might be invisible barriers, which would make finding it more difficult and-”

Keith shot her a look. Pidge stopped talking and bit her lip. Keith took a deep breath.

“It’s here,” he said. “It has to be.”

Keith walked ahead of the others. Pidge, Hunk, and Lance all eyed one another in concern. Shiro’s disappearance was hard on all of them. He was the one they could all look to. And it wasn’t solely because he was the leader. Shiro actually listened to their concerns. He gave them the freedom to choose their own paths while also guiding them in the right direction to become better gems. It wasn’t as if they didn’t trust each other. They certainly did. But they all knew that they could never meet the same level of wisdom that Shiro had. And worse yet, there was a feeling of confusion as to why Keith had been chosen to lead the team.

 

Keith never thought of himself as the leader type. He had never been good at listening to authority unless it was Shiro. The whole situation was simply ironic for him. He glanced back at the rest of his teammates. Keith knew that they felt as unsure about this new dynamic as he did. And Keith couldn’t blame them. He could admit that he wasn’t exactly the inspiring type. And he wasn’t very patient, either. Even more reasons to wonder why Shiro designated him as next in command. Keith didn’t have time to think of such blunders. If they could find Shiro, then everything could go back to normal. The uncomfortable situation could be looked back on as a funny memory.

“Hey, guys, I think I’m getting a reading on something,” Hunk announced as he held up a reader. Everyone headed to where he was and looked at his device. There was a red blinking light as the reader was closer to a small hill. Up on the hill was what appeared to be a large, golden crystal floating atop the surface.

“Is that…” Lance started.

“The Looking Glass,” Keith finished. “C’mon guys, let’s grab it.”

“Hold up,” Lance warned as he grabbed Keith’s wrist. “Don’t you think it’s a little too convenient that the Looking Glass just so happens to be within plain view? For all we know, this hill could be covered in booby traps.”

“If it were covered in booby traps, I’m sure we would have run into some by now,” Keith argued.

“I hate to admit this, but I think Lance is right,” Pidge chimed in. “I think we should try sending one of his water clones to go first before we do anything.”

Keith huffed. He quickly tugged his hand away from Lance’s grasp. “Make it quick.”

Lance used a nearby river to create his clone. The clone made its way atop the hill. However, before it could reach the top, there was a tremor and the clone dissipated. Keith growled.

“Since when do your clones disappear after a little tremor?”

“They don’t! I think maybe there’s something wrong,” Lance said.

“Hey, maybe we should replan how we’re gonna get the Looking Glass,” Hunk suggested. “I mean, we know where it is, so I think it might be best if we just kep our eye on this area and wait to see what’s wrong with this planet.”

“There is nothing wrong with this planet! And there is no other plan! We’re getting it right here, right now!” Keith yelled.

“Hey, don’t yell at him!” Pidge yelled back. “He’s only trying to help.”

“Help?! He’s suggesting we run away. Do you guys not care about finding Shiro?!”

“We do care! Shiro is all of our priorities!”

“Not yours when you like to waste time finding your own family.”

“And what? I can’t search for them, too? I’m sorry Shiro isn’t the only one I’m concerned about!”

“Well, he should be! I’m the new leader, whether you like it or not, and I say we’re getting that Looking Glass right now so that we can get Shiro back!”

There was another tremor, but it was bigger than the last. Everyone was being thrown off balance. They looked around but couldn’t see anything. Keith stared at his teammates. 

“I can’t believe all of you,” he hissed. “If you guys aren’t going to grab it, I will.”

He climbed up the hill. However, the ground shook again. From behind the hill, emerged a giant grey mattered figure. It had charcoaled scales from its backside, with steel wings opening up. There were massive claws that were placed on the sides of the hill. Its head was sharp, its eyes glowed a deep purple. From atop was a long stride of white hair which covered its forehead. The beast looked down on Keith and the others. Keith pulled out his sword.

 

“Keith,” Lance called out slowly, “don’t be dumb. Come back here, nice and easy, and maybe we can fuse to take down this…,” Lance thought about the proper word to describe the thing. “...dinosaur.”

“Actually, I think it might be more like a kaiju,” Hunk added with a loud whisper.

“It looks more like a dragon to me,” Pidge commented.

The monster breathed heavily down on the paladins, causing them all to shiver. Keith knew his teammates were right. He dropped his sword which disappeared before hitting the ground and started walking backwards, never taking his eyes off the creature. He took slow, easy steps. The more he stared at the monster, the more Keith sensed an air of familiarity with it. Keith was able to retreat back with his friends and they all looked at it.

“Hey,” Pidge said, “doesn’t its arm look kind of weird?”

“What do you mean?” Keith asked.

“Its arm...it looks like it’s made out of steel like the wings.”

Everyone took a closer look at it and knew Pidge was right. The right arm was made out of steel, too.

“Alright, Keith, what do you want us to do?” Lance asked.

Keith analyzed the beast some more. This had to be a corrupted gem of some sort, there was no question about that. Which meant that all they needed to do was to poof it and bubble it back to the castle. But, in order to take down a beast that massive, and presumably with flight capabilities, then at least one fusion would be needed. He’d normally want to fuse with all of them, but judging by their state of minds, Keith figured none of them were ready to pull a four gem fusion at this moment. So, he had to work with what he could do.

“Okay, Lance, you fuse with me. Klance will be able to shoot fire and ice at it. Hunk, you shapeshift into a larger size and try to hold it down. Pidge, you’ll have to climb on Hunk’s shoulders and hop on it. You’ll have to see if you can tear apart its metal skin. If not, then find a soft spot to electrify it at. With any luck, one of us should be able to poof it.”

Everyone nodded. Lance and Keith grabbed hands, ran, and their bodies emulated light which combined the two and had Klance come out. Klance summoned their rifle and started shooting at the beast. As predicted the beast flew up high. Hunk enlarged his body, grabbing Pidge and placing her on his shoulders. He grew as big as he could possibly get and grabbed a hold of the beast’s tail. Pidge ran across Hunk’s arm, summoning her katar. She first attempted to find a soft spot, but any part of its body that appeared more flesh like wasn’t affected by her electric currents. The beast turned its head at her, screeched, and shaked itself. Pidge did her best to hold on to one of its scales while Hunk used all his power to maintain his size and not let go. Klance shot at the beast again, hitting it, but still the beast would not relinquish its physical form. The rifle disappeared.

“You’re more trouble than you let on to be,” Klance remarked, levitating the water that was near them and transforming it into ice shards. He flung the ice shards towards the beast, but still it remained. Klance clicked his tongue.

The corrupted gem started firing blasts of energy in Klance’s direction. Klance dodged most, but one of the blasts hit one of his top shoulders. Klance put an arm on it, staring up at the beast.

“We have to think of something quick. I don’t know how long Hunk and Pidge can hold on.” Klance surveyed the area. The hill was really the only place that needed protecting. Everything else was fair game. “Hunk, try to whack the monster down on an open field!”

“But Pidge is still on it!”

“She’ll be fine! You can grab her before the monster hits the ground!”

Hunk took a deep breath before raising his arms up. He whacked the monster with all his might. Pidge tried to remove one of the steel scales, but it barely budged. She had her katar function as a grappling hook as she shot at Hunk’s headband. When the monster touched the ground, Hunk used his hands to catch Pidge as she travelled towards him. Hunk couldn’t maintain his size anymore and shrunk back down, keeping Pidge within his grasp from his hand to his arm.

Klance already had his sword ready. He was ready to slash through the beast, his sword lifted high. Before he could slash, the white hair that covered the beast’s forehead was parted. It revealed a gemstone on top. And upon closer inspection, Klance could make out a scar that was etched across its face. Klance froze up, all four of their eyes widened.

“It’s….Shiro?” Klance’s voices were becoming distinct and he was quick to unfuse.

Lance was on the ground while Keith was standing, his arms shaking. The beast shook itself-himself-up. Pidge and Hunk ran up to them.

“Guys, what’s going on?” Hunk asked.

Lance got up. “We were wrong. That thing, it’s actually Shiro!”

“What? No way. That can’t be true. Can it?”

They all looked to Keith who was still frozen in place. The beast stretched its head forward and the rest of the gems moved in front of Keith, spreading their arms out protectively. The beast huffed and flew away, back to the hill. When everyone saw Keith again, Keith shook his head.

“No, no, NO!” Keith held his sword and started beating it to the ground. He repeated “NO” over and over again. Hunk rushed up from behind, holding Keith back with his arms. Keith shook his head. “No, no! It can’t be!” Keith snivelled up, snot dripping down his nose and tears rushing down his eyes. He dropped his sword, which disappeared in thin air. Lance got next to Keith and he and Hunk lifted the red spinel up. They all headed back to the castle.

  


When they got back, Allura and Coran looked worried. Their worried expressions deepened when they saw Keith.

“What happened?” Allura questioned.

Pidge was the one to explain how they came across a corrupted gem. Or rather, a corrupted Shiro.

“That can’t be right,” Coran said. “Shiro, we don’t know where he is.”

Pidge shook up, tightening her grip. “I wish we could say that isn’t true. But there were far too many resemblances.” She started choking up. “That was him.” Pidge cried and Hunk pulled her in for a hug, rubbing her back.

“It’s okay,” Hunk reassured, repeating the phrase in soft whispers as he kissed the top of her head.

Keith’s eyes were blank. Lance wanted to put a hand on his shoulder, but hesitated.

“Keith?”

Keith walked to the door.

“I need some time to re-evaluate the situation.” Keith left the others behind.

He retreated into his own room and continued crying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS. This was the part of the AU that I have been waiting for. I've been looking forward to sharing Corrupted Shiro with all of you. There's more I want to talk about when it comes to Corrupted Shiro, but I'll save that for when the right part comes up.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one knows how to handle the revelation about Shiro. But something needs to be done.

The castle fell under a silent spell after the incident with the Looking Glass. There was very little acknowledgement aside from informing each other of what needed to be done around the castle. None of them were prepared for one of their own to become corrupted.

No one had seen Pidge since they came back. Hunk spent most of his time in the kitchen, baking a high quantity of sweets, but never eating them like he normally would. Lance was uncharacteristically cleaning the castle without being told to, even going into areas that he normally ventured into. Whenever Keith attempted to train, he found himself unable to fight back, so he tried to sleep wherever he could.  Allura, more than once, tried to get everyone to snap out of it, but she, too, found herself missing the calm authoritative presence of Shiro. She couldn't find the right words to get everyone motivated again. But then she wondered if she ever could. Coran tried to take the castle to a planet that might be relaxing for everyone, but no one wanted to go out.

Keith sat atop his pod in the garage, staring at the black pod that wasn’t far from him. He pulled his knees close to his head, burying his head in between them. He felt so helpless. How could he be a leader when he couldn’t overcome his grief of losing Shiro? He stared at his gem on his right hand. He sighed, laid back, and kept his eyes on the black pod.

 

 _What’s wrong?_ The voice of Shiro asked.

Keith closed his eyes. “You’re not here. Why did you want me to lead our team?”

_Because you go by your instincts. Your judgements are based on what you believe is right._

“Anyone can do that.” He scratched the hood of his pod. “If you were here, Sheith could sleep for both of us. You and I could get lost in each other and that wouldn’t be so bad.”

_Maybe I can be here._

“As a corrupted gem? You’d try to kill us. You probably don’t even know who we are anymore.”

_That may not be true. Keith, I know you can find me. You and everyone else. But, if you want to get to me, you can’t do it alone. Do you know what to do?_

Keith sat up. “Yeah, but it won’t be easy.”

_Being a leader is tough. But with the right mindset, a leader can make the best decisions. You just have to trust yourself._

Keith hopped off the hood of his pod.

* * *

Keith was surprised to find Hunk in front of Pidge’s door.

“Hunk?”

Hunk turned around, unfazed by Keith’s presence.

“Uh, hey, Keith,” Hunk said softly. “I was just,” he glanced back at the door, “I just wanted to see how Pidge was doing. But she won’t open the door.”

“Have you knocked already?”

Hunk nodded. “I’m worried. I know finding Shiro like that was tough, but I want her to know that I’m here for her.” He sighed. “Maybe I’m not the person she wants to see.”

Keith shook his head. “I doubt that’s what she thinks. If anything, it’s my fault for not doing anything about this sooner.” He put his hand on the door. “I hope you can forgive me for not keeping the well being of this team in check.” Keith tapped his fingers. “Pidge, please let us in. I...I want us to try and figure out a way to get Shiro back. I think we might be able to, but first we need you. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t force you. Just know that we can help you.”

When Keith removed his hand, the door slid open. Keith and Hunk entered the room cautiously, Pidge’s room being as messy as ever. They entered her standard room, with pieces of technology and clothes lying on the floor. Actually, what should have been her bed was covered in junk. Pidge was on the floor, pulling up digital photos of her family and Shiro prior to the departure to Kerberos. Her physical appearance was messier than usual. Strands of hair were sticking up everywhere, her eyes were red, and there were dark circles underneath her eyelids.

“Pidge?” Hunk spoke meekly.

“You won’t be able to help me,” Pidge said bluntly.

Keith and Hunk held their tongues.

Pidge brought a picture of Matt closer to her. “How can anyone help me if I can’t even help him?”

“Him?” Keith asked.

Pidge shot up at him. “My brother!” Her lip was quivering, her arms shaking. “I was foolish! I never considered the possibility that he could be corrupted.”

“Pidge, you know he isn’t,” Hunk tried reassure. “I’m sure he’s fine. If he’s anything like you, then he’ll be okay.”

“If he’s anything like me, he’s probably shattered!”

Keith furrowed his brows. “Don’t talk like that. You’re still here, in tact. Your brother could still be intact, too.”

Pidge shook her head furiously, folding her trembling arms. “I can’t fully believe that. Matt’s probably forgotten all about me. He probably lost himself. Just like Shiro.” Tears were streaming down her face. “And my dad, he,” she hiccupped, “I don’t even know if he’s alive. He’s a human. He could get broken easily. Even if he isn’t dead, who’s to say he hasn’t forgotten about me either?!” She collapsed on the floor. “I’m the only one who remembers. My memories were all I had to keep in touch with them.” She wiped her nose. “Why did they leave me behind? Why wasn’t I be good enough for them to stay?” Her voice said softly, almost like a whisper.

Hunk knelt down in front of her, putting his hands on her cheeks.

“Pidge, listen to me: there are only so many things in life that are guaranteed. There are an infinite number of possibilities. But we can’t always think about the worst of outcomes. We have to think about the best ones.” He wiped her tears with his thumbs. “If Keith knows how to save Shiro, then we have to follow his lead. You have to believe that we can save Shiro. We can find your brother and dad. You have to trust that all of us are beyond good enough for that.”

Pidge sniffed before she wrapped her arms around his neck and Hunk returned the embrace. She gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

“Thank you.”

Hunk blushed as the two of them got up. Keith gave his teammates a warm smile.

“We will get them back.” Keith put a hand on her shoulder. “We’re a team.”

“Did I miss some sort of group therapy session?” Lance asked as he was leaning against the doorway with a bucket and a scrubbing brush behind him.

The other gems eyed one another before shrugging their shoulders and waving their hands sideways.

“We don’t have to talk about it right now if you don’t want to.” Lance stretched his arms. “So, are we getting Shiro back or what?”

“We are,” Keith affirmed. “Let’s go back to Coran and Allura. We’ll run down the plan with them.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team goes back to the planet that Shiro's in, hoping that their plan to get him back will go smoothly.

In the lounge area, Allura and Coran listened intently to Keith's plan. He made sure to leave room for questions and concerns, most of which involved the technical aspects of it all. When he was done explaining, he opened the floor for anyone to come up with an alternative, one that they believe would be better than what he thought up.

"Normally I can do everything better than you, but you're lucky that I'm pretty much on board with everything you had to say," Lance shrugged.

"No complaints here," Coran said, with the rest following suit in agreement.

Keith took a look at Pidge, who rubbed her gem. 

"Pidge, I know that if we do this, we won't be getting the Looking Glass," he moved to be in front of her. "I'm not asking you to be okay with this, but if you still need that item, we can always rearrange the plan to better suit its retrieval."

Pidge looked up at him with a solemn smile. She shook her head. "I know I can find my brother and dad. Even without the Looking Glass. We should follow through with what we have. I don't want to lose another important person in my life."

Keith smiled at her. "I appreciate that," he ruffled her hair, making her giggle and push him away. 

With everyone on board, they were ready.

 

The castle made a landing on the desolate planet that contained the Looking Glass. Allura, dressed in her suit of armor, exited the castle alongside the gems. They could see the Looking Glass from where they were. That meant Shiro wasn’t far, either.

“Coran, have you gotten a reading on the area?” Keith asked through the comm.

“According to the scanners, there’s only one life force nearby."

“I guess that means we really are alone,” Lance said.

“We can’t be too sure,” Keith scanned the area, shifting his gaze from where he stood. “For all we know, there could be Galra gems coming by to check up on Shiro.”

“Especially if they’re having him protect the Looking Glass,” Allura added. “But we have to move forward. With Coran on lookout, we should be able to lead Shiro to the castle.”

Everyone looked out. The sky was a mix of purple and blue, the stars brimming with white lights. The planet seemed to be in a perpetual state of night.

“You all know what to do,” Keith made clear.

Lance brought the water from the nearby stream, forming it into a pathway and freezing it over. He got on top, running with his feet being encapsulated to form ice boots as he controlled the frozen water to continue his path up the hill. Almost as if on cue, Shiro re-emerged. He glared down at Lance, huffing out air from his nostrils. Lance mockingly put his thumbs on the temples of his head.

“Come get me, you big dinosaur!”

The beast roared as he pounced up and in front of Lance. Lance used his ice to create a barrier between himself and his former comrade, making a run for it and screaming as Shiro gained speed on him.

Meanwhile, Hunk and Pidge fused to form Hidge, who used their strength to levitate the giant metal poles and set them firmly down on the ground. Allura coordinated the positions of the poles, all the while glancing back up at the sky.

“Uh, guys, how much longer is it gonna take to set up? I don’t know how much longer I can keep evading him,” Shiro opened his jaw, taking a bite that missed Lance. “AAGH!”

“We’re almost done,” Hidge replied. “I just need to turn on the field and set it so that it doesn’t actually hurt Shiro if he touches it.” Hidge worked hard to change the algorithm of the setup. They typed away when there was a ravenous growl.

“What was that?” Allura asked.

“Sorry, I’m normally used to eating when working,” Hidge apologized, shrugging their shoulder.

“We’ll make it up to you later." Keith's gaze looked up to see his beloved chasing their dear friend. It may have been a comedic sight if only his diopside wasn't primal. Still, his eyes remained locked on the scene at hand.

Hidge took notice of Keith's position, the red spinel not exactly being subtle with that desperate pose of his head being lifted up to anticipate the oncoming landing.

“Getting Shiro back is the priority,” Hidge continued to type. “Besides, we’re gems. We can live without food.” Their stomach growled louder. “Even if it isn’t preferable for me.” With the last stroke of the tiny keyboard in front of them, they pressed on their ear. “Lance, bring him down.” Hidge unfused, Hunk and Pidge holding hands as they awaited in anticipation.

“I hope this works,” Lance led the beast back down to the planet. The two were diving straight for the field. Shiro flicked a paw at him, making Lance lose balance. Lance tried to maintain control, but found himself spiraling away. Hunk was quick to shapeshift his hand and catch Lance before he fell flat on the ground.

Shiro landed within the field. His claws dug deep within the surface. Keith walked to him, even as Shiro growled at him. Shiro outstretched his head to Keith, wings readying themselves. Keith would not relent. The Red Spinel extended his hand to Shiro. 

“Shiro, it’s me,” Keith looked into the eyes of the beast. His love. Shiro’s purple filled eyes stared right back at the red gem. The corrupted black star diopside remained on guard, snarling.

“We aren’t the enemy. You know that, don’t you?” Shiro ceased his growling, although his teet remained bared. 

“You were trying to protect the Looking Glass. You only fought us because we went after it. Because they made you fight anyone who did." The corrupted diopside's face softened, eyes now having grown curious.

"But we don’t need it anymore. We already found who we were looking for.” Keith pressed his hand and head on Shiro’s snout.

“We found you.”

Shiro closed his eyes. He folded his wings and allowed Keith to embrace his head. Keith put his arms underneath Shiro’s jaw, giving the beast a peck against his skin, as Hunk, Pidge, Lance, and Allura gathered around. Shiro opened his eyes, taking in the sight of the others, and let out a soft hum.

Coran's voice blasted through everyone's ears.

“Everyone, get back in the castle! The radar is picking up a Galra ship coming this way!”

From beyond the stars was a ship that had resembled an eyeball. It was overhead of the hill, a beam of light surveying the area. It looked up and spotted the castle and the guardian of the Looking Glass. It blasted beams at the poles. Lance levitated water from the river, freezing it to protect his friends from the blasts. The blasts were strong, easily shooting at the base of the frozen barrier, causing it to tip over and knock out one of the poles, bringing down the force field.

“What should we do?” Allura asked.

Keith ran up and tried to deflect the blasts with his fire kicks. Steam was coming out of his body with every kick he managed to make.

“Keith, you’re gonna burn yourself out!” Hunk warned.

Keith opened and closed his hand that held his his gem.

“Lance, Pidge, Allura, you three focus on getting Shiro on board! Hunk, come with me! If we fuse we might be able to-”

A blast was shot right at his foot. Keith held on tightly, curling up. Shiro looked back at the eyeball ship. He spread his wings and flew straight towards it.

“Shiro, no!”

Shiro breathed out his own balls of energy towards the Galra ship. After breathing out three, he whacked the ship out of bounds with one of his wings. The ship was flung back to space, but not before hitting one of Shiro’s wings. Shiro dove down.

“Shiro!” Everyone called out as Shiro’s back was penetrated by one of the poles. He took one last glance at his friends before disappearing. Keith stretched out his body to catch the black star diopside in his palms. He came back down, everyone looking down at Shiro’s gem. Keith caressed Shiro with his thumbs.

“C’mon, we’ll figure out what to do when we get inside..”

The bridge to the castle ship was already lowered for them to enter. Without a moment’s hesitation, they launched themselves out of the planet, creating a wormhole once they were far enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another chapter I have been anticipating to share with all of you. Major inspiration actually came from this Robeast Shiro AU that I saw on Tumblr a while back. Specifically, a parody cover of the song "Know Who You Are," by kcgane. I'll leave a link to that cover down below for your audio pleasure as well as a few other posts related to said AU that I think you might enjoy. Bear in mind that Corrupted Shiro, while heavily inspired by this AU, is not meant to look like the visuals you see in those art pieces. What I will say is that the idea of Corrupted Shiro is related to Robeast Shiro because I felt that many connections could be made between both AUs. Both involve Shiro being taken by the Galra, then they have Shiro being mindcontrolled and turned into something he's not, and, most of all, both have Keith being able to quell the beast with his love. I love stories like that so much :D 
> 
> Sorry for rambling, but I hope you enjoyed this chapter regardless.
> 
> "Know Who You Are" Parody Cover:  
> http://kcgane.tumblr.com/post/160235207571/misterpoofofficials-post-about-shiro-being
> 
> Post that Inspired the Whole Robeast Shiro by Mister Poof Official:  
> http://misterpoofofficial.tumblr.com/post/159660499958/i-ju-st-thought-abt-galra-soldiershiro-and-hes
> 
> Robeast Art by kingsandthieves:  
> http://kingsandthieves.tumblr.com/post/161641700604/this-is-not-who-you-are-you-know-who-you-are
> 
> Robeast Art by She Never Updates:
> 
> https://sheneverupdates.tumblr.com/post/164853397872/part-1-part-2-voltron-moana-crossover-this
> 
> https://sheneverupdates.tumblr.com/post/164853512152/part-1-part-2-voltron-moana-crossover-this


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Shiro in his gem state, everyone is on edge about how to move forward from there.

The team was circled around the Black Star Diopside that was placed on a table. Coran was relieved to hear that the gems and Allura were able to calm Shiro down and even had hope in his eyes as he was told that Shiro protected the group in his corrupted state. However, the current matter at hand was deciding on what to do with his gem.

“I think it’s about time we bubble him,” Allura said. “I know it isn’t easy to put him with the others, but he’ll be safer there.”

Keith was quick to turn down that idea.

“No!” He stepped in front of her. “We can’t do that. Shiro isn’t like the others. We know he can be saved.”

“But keeping him out here won’t be any good. He may forget us again.”

“That would never happen,” Keith shook his head. “Please, Allura. What if he returns uncorrupted?”

“That’s not very likely,” Allura shifted her gaze from him. She sighed. “Why don’t we compromise? We won’t bubble him, but he must be protected by a barrier of some kind.”

Coran took out a remote and pressed the button in the middle of it. From the ceiling, a glass case was summoned and placed on top of the table the Black Star Diopside was on.

“We can figure out a better barrier tomorrow,” Coran said. “For now, I think it would be best for all of us to get some rest.”

Everyone nodded and headed off into their rooms.  


 

Keith couldn’t get any sleep as he walked down the halls of the castle. He was grateful that Shiro was back in the castle and even happy that he still kept his protective personality. But he knew that it was still very possible that Shiro wouldn’t return to normal. He didn’t expect to see Hunk and Lance sitting against a wall, talking among themselves. They stopped their chatter to look up at him.

“Couldn’t sleep either?” Lance asked.

Keith nodded. They all sighed.

“I wish we didn’t have to imprison Shiro,” Hunk said. “I mean, I get that technically we’re actually keeping these corrupted gems safe, but it doesn’t feel right.”

“I know what you mean,” Keith agreed. “But I don’t think we have to view him as a prisoner.”

“What do you mean?” Lance tilted his head.

“We could take it as him healing,” Keith brushed his fingers along his gem. Then he lifted his head. “Wait, what if we tried to put Shiro in a healing pod?”

“What good would that do? I thought those things only heal physical wounds.”

“Yeah, but we’ve never tried putting a corrupted gem in there before. And this is Shiro we’re talking about. It could work.”

Hunk pumped his fists. “Yeah! I’m on board with that idea!”

Lance looked at Keith with concern in his eyes. The healing pods, while advanced compared to any medical technology back on Earth, weren’t a technological miracle. He held his tongue as he followed his two friends to where Shiro was. But to all of their surprise, the glass lid was on the floor and Shiro’s gem was missing.

“Search the castle!” Keith ordered. “The thief could still be-”

Before he could finish his command, the three of them saw that a light coming from down the corridor. Keith waved a hand and Hunk and Lance followed behind him. They took fast, silent steps to the light. Keith felt his foot step on a piece of paper. Or rather, a photograph. He looked down to see that it was an old photo of Shiro back on Earth. When the group lifted their heads, they saw Pidge sitting down, the Black Star Diopside in her hands, and a holographic image of her brother, father, and Shiro. She pointed at him.

“See, this is you,” she moved her finger to Matt, “and this peridot is my brother, Matt.” Her finger pointed to Sam next. “And this is the human that took Matt and I in. Samuel Holt. But he was also a part of you and Matt’s team. These guys were your friends. Frieeeennnddss,” she stretched out that last word.

“Pidge, what are you doing?” Keith broke their cover.

Pidge jumped, falling back, but careful not to drop Shiro.

“Um, nothing.”

“Why do you have Shiro?” Hunk pointed to the gem. “And why are you talking to him like that?”

Pidge fixed herself up. “I don’t know if this would work, but I thought it would help if I started talking to him,” she looked down at him. “I figured that recounting his time from before would help him get his memories back and that when he regenerated he would come back as his normal self.” She sorted through the photos on the floor and pulled up one with the whole group, including Allura and Coran. “I was gonna show him us as his friends, too.”

Hunk took it and smiled at it. It was during their early days when discovering they could form Voltron. Right after their first successful mission. Before another word could be said, Allura’s voice was coming their way.

“That’s all well and good, but he needs to be put back.”

Everyone was startled to see her and Coran up. Pidge covered the Black Star Diopside over her shoulder.

“No! I’m not putting him back,” she tried to cover him with her sleeves.

“I’m sorry, Pidge, but we must,” Coran said. “It’s too dangerous for him to be out here.”

Pidge’s eyes became glossy as she clutched to Shiro’s gem tightly.

“Hey, maybe Pidge might have the right idea,” Hunk defended. “I mean, we’ve never tried taking care of the gem part of a corrupted gem. And this might give us good reference for how long it would take for a corrupted gem to regenerate.”

Everyone looked at him. Pidge relaxed her shoulders, while Keith was about to speak out against the idea.

“That-,” he paused for a moment. He had never really thought of that before. And technically, if they just so happened to come across a corrupted gem that was poofed and slipped through their fingers of being poofed, it would be good to know how much time they would have to search for it. “...is actually a good idea.”

Allura scoffed. “Keith, are you serious?”

“Allura, please,” Keith looked at her pleadingly. “I think it’s worth a shot. It might do us some good in the long run.”

Allura sighed. “Oh, alright. Just...be careful with him. Okay?”

“We will,” Keith assured.

Hunk took the gem from Pidge’s hands.

“Hey!”

“Nope, you’re not the only one that gets to take care of his gem,” Hunk argued. “This is a team effort which means we should take turns. And I’d say you’ve had more than enough time with him, so it’s my turn.”

Pidge tried to grab the gem back, but Hunk held her back with one hand and held Shiro up high with his other hand.

  
  


Hunk pulled out a tray of cookies from the oven, sniffing in the aroma.

“You don’t know what you’re missing out on, Shiro,” Hunk addressed the gem that was atop a finely cushioned pillow which had a warm lamp faced down on him. Hunk put the tray next to the pillow and put his hand over the lamp. “Hm….it seems warm enough,” then he looked back down at the gem. “Oh, I know.” He wrapped the Black Star Diopside with a tiny blanket. “There, that should do it,” Hunk smiled, pleased with his idea.

“He’s not an egg, Hunk,” Keith pointed out, his body leaned against the one of the walls of the kitchen.

“I know he’s not,” Hunk grabbed a cookie and bit into it, “but I think all Shiro needs to get back to his normal self is a little love and some good food.”

“Shiro can’t even eat anything right now.”

“Doesn’t mean he can’t smell it.” Hunk finished his cookie. Keith shook his head. He held one out for Keith. “Want one?”

“No thanks,” Keith answered. He focused back on Shiro’s gem. It was strange seeing him so vulnerable like that. This was the weakest state for a gem to be in. Keith had no idea what to expect. Especially when it came to regeneration. Every gem varies on regeneration time. He knew how long it took for his friends to regenerate. Except for Shiro. And the corruption state didn’t help matters.

Hunk noticed the concern in Keith’s eyes. He lifted Shiro from the pillow and placed him on Keith’s hands. Keith blinked.

“I think it’s your turn to watch over him,” Hunk said softly, clasping Keith’s hands together. When Hunk let go, Keith caressed a thumb over the black and white gem.

Keith gave a small smile. “Thank you.”

  


Keith had long removed the blanket that engulfed Shiro. Shiro was still in Keith’s palms as he looked out one of the grand windows of the castle, where they passed by all sorts of stars and comets and asteroids. Keith stared at his hand, the one that possessed his own gem on the backside. He placed that hand atop Shiro.

“We’re gonna get you back to normal. I promise.”

The Black Star Diopside remained as silent and still as it was since they came back. Keith looked back out the window.

“I wish I could fuse with you again,” Keith said. “I think we’ve both earned some rest.” Keith took a deep breath in before letting it out. “Tell you what: if you come back as your old self, we’ll fuse. Sheith can relax for the both of us.” He held the gem up. “How does that sound?”

Still no response.

A door opened and footsteps came by. Keith turned to see that it was Allura. She looked down at him.

“Are you alright?” she asked.

Keith let his hair fall to his face. “I guess.”

Allura sat down next to Keith. She took a quick glance at the gem in his hands before returning her gaze to him.

“I know it’s hard to see Shiro like this. None of us imagined him being in this state.” She placed a hand atop the gem. “But I know you’ll find a way to make it work.”

Keith set Shiro down to face Allura. He gave her a slight nod.

“I have to. Not just for him. But for all corrupted gems.” He looked up at the ceiling. “I know that’s what Shiro would want out of all this. Isn’t that right?” He looked back down to see that Shiro had disappeared. Keith and Allura freaked out. “I lost him already?!”  


 

Elsewhere in the castle, Lance sat back on a chair, his face covered in a green mask and a towel wrapped around his head. He gave a slight motion of his hand and levitated water from a nearby basin to swish into a pile of coals, causing steam to come out. There was another seat next to Lance, it’s occupant being the Black Star Diopside which contained a dab of sunscreen across.

“Ah, isn’t this great, Shiro?” Lance put his hands behind his back. “I say that instead of stressing over all the small things and getting overwhelmed, the best way for you to come back to normal is if you relax.” Lance sunk back into the chair. “And nothing says relaxing more than some time in the castle spa. No missions. No training. Just you, me, and this soothing place. Take it from me, nothing can ruin this.”

There was a loud bang from outside the room.

“LANCE!” Keith’s voice yelled out.

Lance pouted and groaned.

“If you’re looking for Shiro, he’s with me!” Lance shouted back.

“Give him back, now!”

“No way!”

A red flare light formed a square which was promptly kicked down by the red spinel, looking rather angrily at Lance. Lance widened his eyes.

“Dude! Seriously?!”

Behind Keith was Allura, who was just as shocked and angry.

“You’re fixing that!” Allura said to Keith.

“Fine, but for now, Lance has to give Shiro back.”

Lance got in front of Shiro’s gem.

“No! You already had your time with him. It’s still my turn!”

Coran, Pidge and Hunk rushed to the scene, with Pidge and Hunk circling Lance.

“Hey, you guys interrupted my session with him, so obviously he should go back to me!” Pidge pointed at herself.

“No. Obviously, you guys aren’t being careful enough with Shiro, so he should come back to me!” Hunk said.

The paladins bickered about who Shiro would go with next, each giving their own reasons for spending more time with him. Then, rather unexpectedly, the black star diopside rose from the chair. Everyone turned in shock and amazement, clinging on to each other as they saw a light coming out of the gem.

The black star diopside had a more human like shape emerging from the gem. The other gems, Allura, and Coran leaned in for a closer look. However, the human shape didn’t last long as it quickly morphed into the same reptilian like state it was in before, wings and claws and all. Shiro came back as a monster.

Lance summoned his sniper, aiming it at Shiro, but Keith placed a hand on him.

“No,” Keith said both firmly and softly. “Let’s wait.”

Lance lowered his weapon, still not getting rid of it in the event Shiro turned on them. Shiro stared down at the gems and the Altean. He was still much bigger than all of them, but definitely not as huge as he was before. They didn’t know what he was going to do. Instead of attacking, Shiro simply slumped down, lying lazily on the floor and closing his eyes.

Everyone was confused. Lance put away his sniper, unsure of what to make of the situation.

“Uh...so is this a good thing or a bad thing?” Hunk asked first.

Lance stretched his leg to one of Shiro’s forearms, pushing it slightly only to receive an annoyed grunt and head turn from the monster.

“I’ve never seen a corrupted gem so docile,” Allura commented as she eyed him down.

“Does this mean we can keep him like this?” Pidge asked.

“Not so fast, Pidge,” Coran said. “He could still be dangerous.”

“But he isn’t attacking,” Hunk pointed out.

“Doesn’t mean he won’t.”

Allura and Keith stepped forward and crouched down before Shiro. Keith moved his hair gently, and neither Allura nor Keith could sense any danger to him.

“I think he should stay out,” Keith said. “I don’t get the feeling that he’d hurt us.” He turned to Allura. “Of course, I understand that this is your castle so if you feel he shouldn’t be out here, then I’ll respect your decision.”

Allura blinked. “He can stay.”

“Really?!” Pidge asked enthusiastically.

“But Princess,” Coran started.

“It’ll be alright, Coran,” Allura stood. “And just because he is out doesn’t mean I won’t have rules for him. And that the other paladins won’t be responsible for seeing to it that he doesn’t go berserk.”

The paladins’ faces beamed with joy. They could work on his recovery without bubbling him away. While the news was good to them, there was still another issue that had yet to be resolved. How would they form Voltron?


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lotor Diamond comes in to take his place as the overseer of the entire empire. Not all gems are looking forward to his reign.

Quartz soldiers were lined up on a runway with various other gems behind them as a large purple arm descended down. Its hand open palmed had a palanquin float out of the ship and fly down in front of it. A hesonite named Throk hid the scowl on his face as he stood before the palanquin to greet the diamond that would overlook the empire in the midst of his original's absence. Stepping down from the palanquin was none other than Lotor Diamond, accompanied by Zethrid, Acxa, Ezor, and Narti. 

A lingering silence echoed, with very little whispers in the crowd. Throk could only silently agree with what he was hearing.

His entourage is much to close to him.

How could Zarkon Diamond's replacement be one so puny? Even his half-breed Jasper is taller and more intimidating than he.

Is he ready to take over the Empire properly?

Throk bowed his head low as Lotor Diamond stood before him. 

"My Diamond." He didn't allow the diamond to see his strained expression. "My luminous, wondrous diamond." He lifted his head to meet the diamond's gaze. "We welcome you to New Daibaazal."

Lotor scoffed. "You cannot even call it my home?"

Throk stiffened. "Forgive me, my Diamond. I did not-"

Lotor laughed. "I only tease, Hesonite."

"Right. Of course." 

He was even more annoying than he could have imagined. To think he'd have to address this diamond as "my diamond." Throk's loyalty lied with the one, true diamond and that was Zarkon. Zarkon Diamond was direct and to the point. He did not waste time with foolery. Still, he had to keep his formalities in check. Otherwise, there would be another uprising, one that could cause another civil war. 

He would deal with Lotor Diamond later.

"Shall I escort my Diamond to his throne room?" 

Lotor looked over his shoulder, his gaze on the architecture that surrounded them. Then, his eyes squinted to something beyond in the distance. A smirk crept up on his face. He pointed a finger up.

"I wish to be taken to the colosseum."

While that shouldn't have been a priority, the hesonite had to admit that he at least retained the same passion for force as Zarkon.

"Of course, my Diamond." He saluted.

 

When they reached the colosseum, Lotor and his entourage followed the hesonite behind the stands. One of Zarkon's pearls lingered in the VIP access way, one of many that Haggar had approved to be lent to Lotor upon his arrival. Throk clapped his hands and the pearl came speed walking to them.

"My Diamond, what do you think of this pearl?" He stepped aside, showing her off. Her hands were clasped together as her purple hair bounced off her shoulders. Her attire was much more fanciful compared to the other pearls that they had passed by, with golden tinsels hanging from her head. Really, it was a wonder to Throk as to why Lotor Diamond did not have a single pearl, the bare minimum for any gem of high rank. 

"There are many others for you to choose from. Of course, if you'd like to alternate between them, that can be arranged as well. Haggar-"

"I do not need a Pearl, Throk," Lotor interrupted before looking down at the Pearl. He brushed past Throk as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Dear, I know you belong to Zarkon, but I relieve thee of your duties."

The pearl nearly gasped. Before she could speak, Throk went in.

"My Diamond, you do not truly mean to do that. What will she do if she does not serve you?"

"She may wait for me in my palanquin until further notice."

"But-"

"That is an order," Lotor smiled at the pearl.

The pearl saluted. "Many thanks, my Diamond." Although she kept her head low, the smile on her face was ever evident.

Throk furrowed his brows, only to relax his face when Lotor spoke again.

"Throk, I do not recall telling you where we would go."

"Oh, of course. I merely thought you would like to be in the box reserved exclusively for you. But if you'd prefer to hand pick who shall battle, there is a selection screen in the room."

"I already know who I want to battle."

"My Diamond?"

"My entourage may view the fight from the box." He gestured his head in the opposite direction. "You and I will be at the preparation room."

 

Throk did not predict that he would be the one in the arena, much less that his opponent would be a diamond. The gems in the audience watched in awe, whispers and murmurs echoing off the walls. He took a look at the lounge that was meant for Lotor, which was currently occupied by the half breeds. Three of them watched with serious faces while the ruby had a more gleeful look. 

Lotor Diamond summoned a sword, cradling it in his hands as he looked on its surface. Throk was conflicted on how to proceed. To battle against a diamond was unheard of since the civil war. But a diamond called upon the challenge. As large of a mark as it would leave on his reputation, the only way Throk could conceivably save face in this situation would be to forfeit. He was about to raise his hand when Lotor drew his sword in the hesonite's direction.

"Do not dare back down from a challenge," Lotor commanded. 

Throk froze in place. 

"I have heard you had doubts about my ability to lead this empire. To lead you." Lotor took one step forward. "If you find me unfit to rule this empire, then challenge me. That's what the rebels of the civil war did with Zarkon Diamond."

"But, my Dia-"

"As your new Diamond, I order you to fight me with everything you have."

Throk was shaken up. His mind tried to control of his body, but the Diamond had looked at him straight in the eyes. He could not disobey a diamond's command. And so, he raced forward with his own sword, clashing against Lotor Diamond.

If heirarchy were to be thrown out the window, Throk had confidence that he would defeat Lotor Diamond. He had fought in countless battles, including the civil war. He knew what it meant to be against fearsome opponents, whether they be gems or organic lifeforms. But organic lifeforms had a weakness that gems could exploit. And though this was a diamond he was fighting, it was also made of flesh. If the hesonite could get even a deep wound in, then the fight would be over. He had to fight, for the sake of his real diamond. One that had no flaws or weakness to speak of.

With every swing, he predicted that Lotor Diamond would grow tired, another weakness of those made of flesh. All he had to do was repeat the same movements to keep him on his toes before going in for the major attack. However, before he could slice him, the diamond blocked his attacked. There was a power struggle, a strength to this diamond that he did not anticipate.

The half-gem pushed the hesonite back, making him fall easily. Throk still retained his physical form, but Lotor's sword was close to his neck. He closed his eyes, anticipating to disappear. But then he felt the sword move away. He opened his eyes, seeing Lotor Diamond's attention brought to the crowd. 

"My fellow Galra," his voice shot throughout the colosseum, "I was created to lead gemkind. My purpose is to have the empire enter a new of prosperity. Zarkon Diamond has limited the potential we can unlock. With me on the throne, I shall see that every one of our resources is used, for each gem is born with a purpose. Even the weakest of gems are just as important as the most elite. But for our empire to expand farther than it ever has, we must begin by sparing our losses and giving second chances to those that fail, for failure is how we learn and grow stronger!" With his hand in the air, the sword disappeared. Lotor Diamond extended that hand to Throk. "Swear your allegiance to me, and we shall have a future that can be more than we've ever dreamed of."

All gems in the stands, including Lotor's entourage, gave their salute. Throk knew when he had lost. He should not have underestimated this diamond. He accepted Lotor's hand, allowing his new excellency to bring him up. He saluted Lotor Diamond back once he was on his feet again.

* * *

Lotor Diamond entered his personal box in the colosseum where his most faithful followers awaited him. They bowed their heads, smiles on their faces that came from how proud they were of his victory in the arena. 

"Rise," he told them, walking past them and placing his hand on the glass that overlooked the stands. "Look at them. So simple minded. So dull. They eat up anything I throw at them and all because I'm a diamond." He gave a low laugh. "I very well can't destroy that Hesonite now. But I don't have to now do I?" Lotor walked away from the window, looking to Acxa. "Have him sent to the Ulippa system. We'll see how he fairs with this second chance I have given him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a while for me to update. I had intended on updating sooner, but only now got around to it. I hope you enjoy and look forward to more content for this AU!
> 
> Oh, and P.S., Throk's gem is located on his left shoulder blade.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team needs to find out how to fuse into Voltron. With Shiro corrupted, there's not enough time to find the right component for a new Voltron. But they may not need to search far for that missing piece.

Pidge, Keith, Lance, and Hunk unfused after presenting themselves in front of Allura and Coran. They had been unsuccessful with forming Voltron with just the four of them. Again.

"This is getting us nowhere," Lance complained, hand on his hip. "We need to start searching for another gem that can fuse with us."

"But who can we find?" Hunk asked. "It's not like we can go back to Earth right now, not to mention that we're surrounded by Homeworld gems that are out to kill us."

"We could get someone from the Blade."

"You just want Sven back," Hunk gave Lance a knowing look to Pidge's amusement. Lance didn't respond, but his grin didn't deny it either.

"That won't work," Keith sighed. "The Blade of Marmora are more focused on freeing the colonies right now; we can't pull them aside when now is the best time to be freeing planets."

"So, what do we do?" Pidge looked up at Keith. 

Keith hummed in frustration. Shiro didn't exactly tell him what they should do if one of them was out of commission like this. Granted, Shiro was just outside the training deck, most likely lounging around. But fusing with him in that state wouldn't guarantee Voltron. Even if it did, the corruption would most likely infect the rest of them and getting Shiro to be tame now was a miracle in and of itself. He had doubts that the same would be able to happen to the four of them.

A beeping sound went off. Coran opened the source of the alarm where a video connection with one of the planets that was to be liberated from Homeworld control popped up. On the other end was a droid looking alien with a visor that had a red dot swish back and forth. 

"We are in dire need of Voltron!" the droid alien said in a robotic voice. "Galra gems are sending their armies to pillage our homes! They're going to release a flood upon us!" Crashes and screams were heard in the background. "Come quickly-" and they were cut off.

Keith shook his head. "We'll have to figure out how to summon Voltron later. Right now, we need to give them everything have. Let's go team!"

The gems ran to their pods, but Lance was stopped by Allura.

"Allura?" He looked down at her hand around his wrist. 

"I want to come, too."

"What? No, now is not the time."

"Now is the time!" Allura demanded. "Keith said we need everything we have. I'm part of that, too."

Lance glanced ahead of him, clanging his teeth together. He wasn't sure if Keith was going to like this. Then again, the red spinel would be more upset at their tardiness. 

"Come with me on my pod." 

With that, the two caught up with the others and flew to the planet that was being attacked. 

 

 

A front line of lapis lazulis controlled the planet's green seas and riverbends swirling towards the homes of the bystanders. The terraformers were guarded by four topazes that had been fused into one. The Voltron gems stood atop a mountain and looked out at the scene that unfolded. 

"We need to take out the lapis lazulis if we want to save the planet's inhabitants," Keith remarked, summoning his sword. "We'll need to go in for the attack if we want to ensure their safety."

As he was about to leap in, Hunk and Lance grabbed his hands. 

"Keith, wait," Hunk pulled him back.

Keith groaned. "What is it, you guys? We're wasting time."

"And our attacks if we just go in head first," Lance remarked. "That topaz fusion isn't going to let us go anywhere near those lazulis."

"Then we'll fuse."

"And if we don't beat them in time?"

Keith clicked his tongue. He looked out at the scene again. That torrent of water would hit the lifeforms soon. He needed to form a plan and fast. What would Shiro do?

"Lance, think you can hold back an entire ocean?"

"Uh...I can try. But I don't know if I'm strong enough to stop it entirely."

"Don't worry about that," Keith motioned his head in the direction of the village. "Allura, go down there and evacuate the citizens to safety. Pidge, Hunk, you two come with me. We'll battle the lapis lazulis and topaz fusion together."

"Are we gonna fuse?" Pidge asked.

"We'll see what the situation calls for when we get there. We may not need to right away if we can distract the topaz and attack the lazulis. Let's show the Galra what we're made of!"

"Yeah!" the rest of the team shouted in unison. 

 

Allura guided the inhabitants to the highest points of the area. That would be their safest location should Lance fail in stopping the oncoming flood. Families remained huddled together, parents circling their children from danger. The one that had called them through the communicators approached Allura once everyone was away from the village. 

"Would this not be easier if they were to form Voltron?" 

She should have seen that coming. She kept her cool as she answered, "The Earth gems are doing everything in their power to ensure everyone's safety."

"But Voltron is the true gem of protection. We need them to save our planet."

Allura turned her head to the sound of fighting in the distance. Keith had charged against the topaz fusion and, from what she could tell, Hunk kept going back and forth between assisting him and Pidge, who was currently trying to battle the lapis lazulis. Her attention turned to Lance, who had been in the forefront of the village, summoning whatever water he could to try and form a shield that could stop the flood. He stood tall, although his body shook with the weight he was carrying. She didn't know how she would be able to help him, but she couldn't stand and watch.

"I promise, we won't let anything happen to you or your people." 

 

The Altean made her way down the hills, running to Lance. The closer she got, the colder the air became. He was turning the shield into ice. Allura nearly slipped, but managed to cross the icy path forward despite the challenge. 

"Lance!"

The blue gem turned his head quickly, arms still raised to hold up the barrier. 

"Allura?!" He nearly flinched, but kept his focus back on protecting the village. "You need to get back up there. I don't want anything to happen to you if I fail."

"You won't fail," Allura stared off at the wall. "Lance, you need to redirect the water. Holding it off like that will only make it worse."

Sweat drops came running down Lance's forehead. "I....can't..." His feet nearly slipped underneath him. "I'm not....strong enough to control that much water."

"Yes, you are," Allura put her hands over his arms. "I know you can do it."

"How can I if I can't even fly up to see where to direct the water?" He groaned in pain.

"You don't need to fly. You can rely on me." She looked forward. "I don't want to let you down."

Lance straightened his back and relaxed. "I know you won't."

They exchanged a smile. Allura still had her hands on his wrists. A glow came from Lance's gem when suddenly the pair were enveloped in light. Out of the light came a tall, lean person with long, white and brown hair that was tied in a ponytail. They looked down at their feet, noticing how they seemed to have grown in height. That person realized that they were no longer two people. 

"Allura! Are you....Lance?" they questioned. They took one step forward, feet wobbling as they tried to get the hang of their new form. 

"I'm.....how?" They looked up at the barrier. "No time right now. We-er, I have to stop that flood." They pushed themselves off the ground, noticing they had a little bounce as they landed atop one of the buildings. "Woah," they said when they landed. "Okay, focus," they put their arms out. They felt the energy course through their veins as they undid the shield. 

The water from the shield was redirected around the village, although this time it was frozen to create a gliding slope. The flood was coming. They felt it beating against their body. But they also felt a sense of control over it. They controlled the flow of the sea so that it would slow down its approach. Once it got through the mountains, this new fusion guided the water into the slopes and had it go past the village. They made sure the sea level never reached a high enough point where it could take someone from the hills. They kept its elevation steady and even. 

The water quickly reduced in force, dwindling down to a stream. The fusion knew they had done it. But the fight wasn't over yet. The lapis lazulis found the one who had stopped their attack. They pointed in their direction where the topaz fusion looked in compliance. The new fusion left the village so as not to bring the fight to the homes. But following them was their teammates.

 

They stopped in an area that was far away from the village. Keith, Hunk and Pidge came, too, with shocked faces.

"Who are you?" Keith asked.

"Keith," the fusion gave a grin to their friends, "I'm a fusion!" They clenched their fists in excitement, eyes wide with pride.

"Awesome!" Hunk cheered.

"Congratulations," Pidge added.

"We could fuse with organic life?" Keith stared down at the fusion.

The fusion shrugged. "I guess. I think Allurance is a good name for me, don't you think?"

The topaz fusion caught up to them, summoning a mallet as a weapon. 

"It's nice, but maybe we can give you a better name." Keith opened his arms. "Let's see if we can summon Voltron!"

The other gems rushed to him, all of them interlocking hands. Their bodies morphed and out came a giant with six arms, a mane of white hair, and five eyes. But they had the grey skin and golden eyes as before. Voltron was back, but this was a different Voltron. One that had the beating heart of a lifeform with the spirit of four gems that had a bond with the lifeform that could not be swayed so easily. 

Voltron looked at themselves in awe, turning their arms over. Unfortunately, the time to admire themselves had to be put on hold as the topaz fusion and lazulis came in for an attack. Voltron grabbed the topaz fusion easily, holding them in their grasp and squeezing them until they poofed. The lapis lazulis flew around the unusual fusion, to which they summoned pieces of metal that were scattered from the Galra's attack on the planet earlier. They shifted the metal to form a sword which was then blazed in intense heat. They swung their sword to the lapis lazulis. Three of them managed to escape the hits, but one was caught and poofed. 

Voltron's next move was to disassemble the sword and turn it into a web that could encompass the flying gems. They managed to have the web morph into a ball that caught two lazulis and hit the ball with their two lowest arms as if they were playing volleyball. When it came flying back down, they grabbed it with their middle arms. They undid their work to see that the lapis lazulis lost their physical forms. 

With one remaining, she swooped in grabbing her fallen comrades and security guards. She grimaced at the fusion, who merely responded with, "boo." Upon hearing their voice, they quickly flew away, retreating to their ship and flying off the planet. 

Now that the invaders left, Voltron took that time to take in their new form.

"I, we?" They shook their head. "Yes!" 

They jumped, causing a mini quake and flung their arms back without realizing that they had just hit two mountains which caused a landslide. 

"Oops," they looked at what they had done. "Okay. I got this. I just need to make sure the people of this planet are safe." They moved one foot forward cautiously, practically tiptoeing to their next destination.

"Ugh, walking around like this is so hard. How did you...we...whatever do this before? I didn't have to worry about this as Allurance." Their legs were getting shaky with the nervousness of accidentally destroying something. When they got to the border of the town, their foot slipped on the icy slopes from earlier. "Ow!" As they tried to get up, the ice underneath them started to crack. 

"Okay, that's it. We need to unfuse. But shouldn't we try to get used to this form? Not now!"

Voltron went into their original components. For most of them. Allurance remained. 

"How the heck did you do that?" Hunk pointed at them.

"I've never seen organic life fuse with another gem unless they were part gem," Pidge leaned forward, examining them.

"I don't know," Allurance shrugged. "I'm pretty sure Allura isn't part gem, but-"

"But we can talk about it later," Keith interrupted. "Right now, we need to make sure the inhabitants are safe."

"Right," Allurance nodded. 

The gems and fusion left for the hills where there were no casualties. The people thanked the Earth gems for saving them as the gems helped guide them back to their homes. 

 

 

Once everyone was back in the castle, Coran was completely shocked at the presence of Allurance. Eyes and mouth wide open as he rushed to them.

"Princess! Are you still in there?!" He hugged the taller being, crying into their shirt. "I never thought the princess would manage to do something so incredible!"

Allurance chuckled. "Heh, thanks. I think?"

Coran let go as Allurance put their fingers over their gem. "I can't believe I exist. I know my father could do it before, but to inherit that power is....wow," they grinned from ear to ear and then laughed, clutching their stomach. "This fusion thing feels incredible." They shot their gaze to the rest of the team. "Is this how fusion feels like?"

"It depends on who you're fused with," Pidge answered. "It was overwhelming for me when I first fused. But when I tried fusing again with someone I trusted, I felt more elated." She and Hunk gave each other knowing smiles as they linked hands.

"We'll probably need to figure out how to fuse with Allura, though," Keith thought aloud. "When we were Voltron, I could feel things that I know I don't normally feel."

"It's called being alive, Keith," Allurance put a hand on their hip. "And I'm loving feeling alive!"

"I wonder how Shiro would feel about this."

As soon as he said that, Shiro came in the main deck. He sniffed around, before stopping in his tracks staring at the others. His eyes turned to Allurance and he got closer to them. Allurance held their hands up.

"Easy there, Shiro, it's only...us?"

Shiro sniffed them and then licked their face. 

"Ew, Shiro!"

Shiro immediately tackled them, holding them in a protective hold. Keith couldn't hide his amusement despite covering his mouth. Allurance unfused, making Shiro let go of them and slumping down by himself. 

"Well, at least we know Shiro can recognize us even if we're fused," Allura rubbed her cheek. 

"I don't know, I think I'd rather he didn't if it meant not getting his saliva all over us," Lance pouted. 

Keith walked over to Shiro, patting his head and scratching underneath his chin, making Shiro let out a noise of pleasure.

"That just means Shiro hasn't forgotten who we are." He kissed the diopside's gem. "Plus, we can embarrass him with these stories when he does get back."

Shiro lifted an arm and pressed it down on Keith, making everyone laugh. 

 

From that day forward, Allura became a part of their training and practiced fusing with the others. This new development would help them, but no one wanted to admit that there would be a fear of Voltron having a more prominent weakness now that that they had a piece of them that was mortal. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heck yeah, Allura fusions! How many of you were expecting that? Maybe you saw it a mile away. But I'm still happy with this new turn of events and I know I'm going to have fun with these new dynamics. 
> 
> Oh, but did you guys see the recent SU episodes? Those were amazing! Especially, Reunion! Sorry, just had to gush about it. I hope you enjoyed this new chapter regardless.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some mysteries are greater than others. The biggest mystery of all is what type of monster Shiro is supposed to be.

With the discovery that Allura could fuse with a gem, Keith took the suggestion that they each attempt individually fuse with her and work their way to forming a more stable Voltron. Fusing with her was easier than any of them imagined. They were impressed by how they could become someone new with her, a lifeform that had no prior experience to this. Coran theorized that it was due to Alfor's ability to fuse with others thanks to quintessence which was then passed on to Allura. Everyone seemed to agree on that. 

Unfortunately, Voltron wasn't there yet in terms of coordination. The team struggled to move as Voltron, as well as fought the needs that came with being part organic life. For the time being, they would have to reserve the five person fusion for dire emergencies. Otherwise, they focused more on training as a team of individuals than as one person. It didn't seem like there was much that could be done, but Keith was clearly frustrated. When he wasn't training, he spent most of his time with Shiro, trying to get him to remember more and act like his old self again. The team was concerned, but for three of them, only one question needed to be answered.

 

Hidge was in the middle of working on a virus installer they could use to bypass Galra security pads as Lance browsed through some photos of dinosaurs. Hidge found a bolt that didn't fit in with the mechanism, shrugging as they threw it in their second mouth to chew. They glanced at Lance, sitting on a table as he was browsing through his own device and they sighed.

"What are you doing?"

Lance looked back at them, turning his device around to show them an illustration of a dinosaur. 

"Do you think Shiro is an omnivorous dinosaur or a carnivore? I have my doubts he'd be a herbivore."

"Don't be silly, Lance. Shiro isn't a dinosaur. He's clearly a kai-gon," Hidge's voice began to falter, Hunk and Pidge's individual voices coming out.

"A what?" 

"A...," Hidge placed their mechanism down as they clenched their fists, struggling to stay together only to break apart with Hunk and Pidge landing on their bums.

"Dragons aren't real, Pidge," Hunk argued. "He has to be a kaiju. That's the only explanation."

"Dragons aren't real on Earth," Pidge hissed. "But that doesn't mean they can't be real on other planets."

"You guys are obviously missing the point. He's a dino-"

"He's not a dinosaur!" Hunk and Pidge yelled simultaneously. 

When they stood back up, all three narrowed their gazes at one another, eyeing the other in contempt. 

"For being the smart ones, I'm surprised you guys would even consider Shiro's anything other than a dinosaur," Lance shook his head in disappointment. "It makes more sense that the creature Shiro resembles the most is a dinosaur."

"And what kind of dinosaur is he supposed to be?" Hunk questioned. "There have been no records of dinosaurs that resemble Shiro. Therefore, he has to be a kaiju."

"Kaijus don't fly, Hunk."

Hunk gasped. "I beg your pardon! Mothra can fly and she's as valid as any other kaiju!"

"She's just an overgrown moth, Hunk! Anyone can be that! I can be that!" Lance shape shifted a pair of moth wings to appear behind his back.

"And can you fly with those wings?" Pidge adjusted her goggles.

Lance raised a finger, putting it down and making the wings disappear. "Low blow, Pidge."

"I'm just saying that Shiro has to be a dragon," Pidge took Lance's device out of his hands and looked up pictures of dragons. "He doesn't quite fit the typical mold of either dinosaur or kaiju, and since Shiro wasn't made on Earth, there's a stronger chance that his corruption allows him to become a creature that is not found on that planet. The only type of creature that leaves is a dragon."

"Guys, there's only one way to settle this," Hunk grabbed pencils and sheets of paper, holding them out for his friends to take.

 

 

Keith had taken Shiro to the simulation room that surrounded them in a desert area. Shiro laid down, head over his arms as he observed Keith speaking to him. Keith was talking on about their nights back on Earth where Shiro would relay tales of his heroism in the civil war. Every so often, Keith paused to check on Shiro, who merely nodded for Keith to go on. Keith slumped his shoulders, patting Shiro on top of his head.

"We'll find a way to get you back," he assured him. "You don't have to be like this forever."

Then Keith got an idea. He took a few steps back and closed his eyes. His body morphed and he shape shifted into Shiro before the corruption. He couldn't make the fluff over his head white, the tuft being a darker shade of red. He did keep the scar and a diopside on his forehead. He made his right arm have a mechanical skin to make resembles Shiro's own robotic limb. 

"This is how you're supposed to look," Keith spread his arms wide open. "Your true form."

Shiro got on his forearms and looked down on Keith. 

"Yeah, that's it," Keith gave a hopeful smile, reaching his hand out to touch Shiro's snout. "I know you remember this."

Shiro gave a low rumble, closing his eyes before lying back down. 

"Shiro?"

"Shiro!" Three voices screeched with the sound of a door opening. 

Keith jumped, turning around to meet Pidge, Hunk, and Lance who all stared back at him. He immediately returned to his normal form. 

"Did we come at a bad time?" Hunk asked, looking nervous as the other two avoided eye contact with the red spinel. Pidge's frown was from sadness while Lance's eyes narrowed in anger.

"N-no," Keith raised his hands, waving them up and down. "I....," he looked down at his gem, sighing. "What's up? You need something?"

Hunk rested his hands on Pidge and Lance's shoulders, assuring them that they should move on with what they were going to ask. Lance coughed into a fist. 

"Can Shiro answer basic questions?"

"What?" Keith looked in confusion, only for Shiro to lift his head up and nod.

"Great," Pidge ran up to him, Hunk and Lance following suit. "We can find our answer straight from the source."

"Answer to what?"

Lance held out his piece of paper, which contained a doodle of a dinosaur. "The answer to whether or not he's a dinosaur."

"Or a dragon."

"Or a kaiju."

"I have no idea what either of you are going on about."

As Lance was about to answer, Hunk pushed him aside to speak up. 

"The three of us have different takes on what Shiro's corrupted form is supposed to be. You wanna hear them?"

"No."

"Good," Hunk pushed Keith to sit down beside Shiro. "We'll go over each of our explanations."

"I'm sorry I asked."

Shiro made a noise that resonated his body, one that Keith could feel.

"Don't laugh."

 

Pidge took out metal pieces and levitated them towards Hunk and Lance, pinning them both down. She whistled, Rover immediately coming into the room and projecting a presentation before them.

"As you can see, Shiro's form resembles a species we have yet to uncover." Images of various aliens across the galaxy came in and out. "However, that isn't to say that he didn't transform into a species we haven't already had speculations about." Various illustrations of dragons popped up, ranging from the bulkier, Western version to the slim, elongated Eastern variety. "If we compare Shiro's current body, he appears to be a various mixtures of our perceived perceptions of dragons. Not to mention he can breathe fire like many iterations of the once thought to be mythical creature."

"Aha, you just called dragons mythical!" Lance shouted, only for Pidge to summon another piece of metal to cover his mouth.

"If you paid attention, I said 'once thought.'" Rover beeped in agreement. "It is very likely that there are planets wherein dragons exist, even if they are called by another name. But a dragon by any other name is still a dragon."

The projection dimmed, the picture disintegrating before them. 

"Any questions?"

No one answered. Keith sulked further against Shiro's body as Lance's eyes twitched in frustration. Hunk shape shifted his arm to be smaller and thinner as it slipped through the cuff and he stood, pushing Pidge aside.

"No one does, so now it's my turn to present.

"Kaiju. What makes a kaiju? There are so many, each with a differing backstory. But to deny that Shiro's backstory isn't fit for this group of mighty legends would be insane. We must remember that Shiro became the way he is because he was taken from us, experimented on by the Galra. Even prior to this transformation, he was already a test subject to them. And now, they've gone too far!"

Keith pinched the bridge of his nose, hoping for this to end.

"Shiro, through outside sources and exposure to a power that is beyond our comprehension, transformed into a giant monster and was sent to protect his perceived territory. He terrorized all who disturbed his peace and he's only with us now because Keith managed to sway him with his heart."

Keith took a deep breath, the phrase _patience yields focus_ repeating in his mind. Lance muffled something out, mouth still sealed.

"Yeah, what kind of kaiju can he be if he was won over by love?" Pidge questioned, seeming to have understood Lance's speech.

"Kaiju aren't immune from the power of love! For kaiju, despite their terrorizing nature, can be swayed by the heart's power!"

"We don't even have hearts!"

"It's a metaphor, woman!"

"Can you guys stop now?" Keith begged, unsure of how much more of their antics he could take. 

Lance groaned, summoning a torrent of water against Hunk and Pidge, breaking Pidge's concentration and allowing him to loosen himself from her metallic grip. The seal over his mouth dropped as well, just in time for him to go on to his explanation.

"You're both wrong!" Lance proclaimed. "Can't you guys see? Shiro is obviously supposed to resemble a dinosaur!"

"And what is your basis for that?" Hunk asked with a scowl on his face as he and Pidge were dripping wet.

"Because Shiro's _ancient_!"

The gems were dumbfounded. Mouths were agape. Disappointment was shared.

"What? It's true. Dinosaurs are old, then became fossils. Fossils are a type of rock and what are we? Rocks! Thus, when we take Shiro's age and appearance into account, he's a living fossil. Ergo, he's a dinosaur."

Lance grinned, crossing his arms and nodding in pride. Shiro stood up, his nostrils flaring. He grabbed Keith, placing him behind him as he swung his tail at Lance. Lance dodged, moving forward only to be nearly chomped by Shiro.

"Ah!" He jumped back. "Shiro's forgotten us again!"

"I'd argue he's getting more of his memories back," Keith rolled his eyes.

"Anyway," Hunk and Pidge stood next to Lance, each placing their drawings to Shiro. "It's time for Shiro to tell us what he really is. If I'm right, which, of course I am."

"Or if someone else is right," Hunk added. He put his his hands on his knees as he looked at Shiro. "Alright, all you gotta do is set fire to the one you think is the more accurate description of yourself."

Shiro hunched over the drawings, staring down at each one. Hunk, Pidge, and Lance all leaned forward in anticipation. Shiro gave them a disapproving look as he backed them away from the paper with his tail, making sure they were a safe distance so he wouldn't set fire to them. Just then, Allura came in.

"There you are," she said, walking in the simulation room. "I was looking for you everywhere."

The three looked behind them. 

"Which one of us were you looking for?" Lance asked. "'Cause if it was me, you know there's no need to search," he winked at her.

"I was looking for all of you."

"All of us?"

"Yeah, I wanted to-"

A burst of flames was heard. The three of them quickly turned their backs on Allura to see which of the pieces of paper he incinerated. They moaned in defeat.

"Shiro, that's not fair!" Hunk complained. "You weren't suppose to burn all three!"

The ashes on the floor were swept away by the corrupted diopside fluttering his wings. 

"He actually did set fire to one of them first," Keith replied.

All three leaned in closer to Keith. 

"Which one?" They asked simultaneously, pleading for him to give them their answer.

Keith shrugged. "Can't say. It was hard to tell which one he aimed for first."

All of them groaned, much to Keith's amusement.

"Way to go, Keith," Lance turned around, walking in the direction of Allura. "You were saying you were looking for us?"

"Ah, yes," Allura resumed. "I wanted all of us to take part in a training exercise Coran found in the castle's systems. It might help us build up our teamwork."

"Fine. Come on guys. Maybe this exercise will actually teach some of us to be a team player." 

Hunk and Pidge nodded, frowns on their faces as they looked back at Keith and shook their heads. The trio went ahead, leaving Allura, Keith, and Shiro in the room.

"Uh....did I miss something?" Allura asked in confusion.

Keith shook his head. "Nothing important. Just those three being stooges as usual."

He patted Shiro's head as he exited the room with Allura, never knowing how he became the leader of those three. Once Shiro was free, Keith needed to ask him how he handled their shenanigans.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team has to stop Lotor from terrorizing a freed planet. But it seems Lotor has more important things in mind.

A distress signal came from one of the planets that had been freed from Galra rule months ago. Everyone was on the main deck when the message was received, an avian species on the other end, calling from atop one of their sky scrapers.

"Please, we need your help!" he called out to them, his feathers falling off with his arm movements. "I don't know where this Galra ship came from! I thought you had gotten rid of Zarkon Diamond!"

"Lotor Diamond," Keith muttered under his breath. He looked back at the representative with determination. "We're on our way. Just hold on tight."

"Thank you, thank you," the representative cried until the signal was cut off.

Keith tilted his head in the direction of the docks. He knew that sooner or later, Lotor Diamond would be making a move. It wasn't a surprise that his first order as a Diamond would be to reclaim lost stolen territory. 

Coran sent them the directions to the planet and they were off. While it had been a while since they were last on the planet Bria, they knew it was easier to be on the planet when you could fly. And, unfortunately for them, none of them had wings right now. They hadn't had much practice being this new form of Voltron, either, but they would have to make due. 

They saw a purple arm ship flying over the city, with two finger bent into the palm, and the pinky, the ring finger, and thumb shooting out lasers. They needed to go down, now. Keith called for Hunk and Lance to fuse with him, believing a three gem fusion could be big enough to withstand the attack.

"We should all go down!" Allura insisted.

"Not now, Allura," Keith walked past her. "Pidge, keep an eye on that ship. Hunk, Lance! C'mon!"

Lance and Hunk exchanged looks, but followed after Keith anyway. The three fused into Klunk: a three-eyed, five armed gem, and jumped out of the ship, landing on the roof of a building. Klunk summoned a shoulder cannon, hitting the next shot that was about to come down. The lasers of both struggled against each other, but Klunk's shoulder cannon was stronger and made a hit against the shot. He jumped off the roof, summoning an ice bridge and encompassing his feet into ice shoes and ran across, continuing to hit the fingers of the ship. 

"The Galra ship has definitely noticed you," Pidge's voice echoed through the ear piece. "It's changing direction, getting ready to blast you!"

"Exactly what I wanted," Klunk grinned, running past the city so that the blast doesn't hit anymore innocents. 

The ship changed form, with all fingers out and the arm turned over. A glow came from the palm, aiming at the fusion. It descended down, getting further away from the buildings above. Klunk holds on to a steel pole, aiming back at the hand. 

The hand shoots at him, but the cannon releases a torrent of fire. Klunk tries to hold his ground, but this blast was really getting to him. He tried to make himself bigger and shoot out ice shards, but they did little damage to the arm. The blast was too much for the fusion, hitting them off the pole. 

Klunk fell down, but was rescued by his ship. Pidge had flown down, opening the roof to catch him. When he hit the floor, he became undone. Keith gritted his teeth as he looked at Lotor's ship.

"Hunk, Lance, we need to get back out there." He stretches his arm out. "If we can run to the ship, we might be able to break in."

"Are you crazy?" Lance asked. "You really think they won't keep hitting us if we try to get near it. Would we even have a chance to get in?"

"Yeah, I don't want to get blasted again," Hunk added.

"You guys, now is not the time to be cowards. We're going back out there and we're taking that ship down."

"If we can even get near it." The lapis lazuli pointed up at the sky. "We're at a disadvantage here. We need a new strategy."

"This strategy is fine! You guys are just too scared."

"We are not!"

"Guys, look," Pidge rushed in between them, having put the ship on autopilot. "The ship is...leaving the city."

Everyone saw the arm flying past the city, heading to a dome that's away from the city. Pidge got back on the pilot's seat, rushing to the dome before the arm could get to it. 

She landed behind the dome and Keith insisted on Hunk and Lance to fuse with him again. However, Allura grabbed Keith's hand.

"You're going to need all of us," she insisted. "We're on a platform and Voltron might be able to fight off that arm."

Keith looked behind him at the doors opening. Hunk, Lance and Pidge circled around him. The red spinel sighed.

"I hope you're right."

Not a moment too soon, Voltron ran out of the ship as the arm was about to land. Their movements were still awkward, though they managed to conjure up a sniper and hit the arm. The arm was approaching closer to them, the tip of the middle finger nearly touching them. Voltron used that chance to shapeshift bigger, trying to crush the middle finger. All they ended up doing was prevent the ship from landing. The arm was still stronger than them to push them back. 

Unbeknownst to them, the arm ship had sent out drones that carried away containers back to it. Voltron didn't notice until the drones were coming in for a landing. The fingers retracted, only to move slightly forward and push Voltron down. It flew away.

Voltron clenched their fists and tried running after it, but they tripped over their own two feet. They stumbled down and almost fell over the platform, but managed to grab onto the ledge. They used one of their free hands to conjure up an ice bridge, but that hand was slapped away by another.

" _What are you doing?_ _They're getting away!_ If we try to run on ice again, we'll be the ones.....we'll slip off and then poof, no more Voltron. _Don't be ridiculous._ Do you know how far down we can fall? Ugh...," Voltron swung the frozen hand in the direction of the arm, but it barely made a scratch. They used another hand to shoot fire balls out of their palm, but the ship had been too far gone at this point. Voltron glanced down and immediately looked away from the unseen ground, their form starting to dissolve. But they held on. Barely.

"Everyone remain calm. We can't unfuse right now or else we'll fall. We need to focus on getting back on the platform. We can do this. Ready. One, two...three," Voltron pushed themselves up, scrambling to their feet as they were on a flat surface again. They looked back up and could no longer see the arm.

"Dang it! They got away," Voltron stomped with clenched fists, nearly losing their balance again. They did, however, unfuse at this point. Everyone looked to Keith who was clearly disappointed that they let the Galra gems get away. That they let Lotor get away.

The only order he gave was for them to check on the city. They got aboard their ship and flew across to the city. The good news was that the people were safe. The bad news was that they ended up stealing confidential crates. Keith pressed on as to what those crates contained. Bria's representative revealed that those crates possessed chemicals, although they weren't sure why the Galra would want them.

* * *

Zethrid replayed the feed from the attack on Bria, showing when they were fighting against Voltron. Ezor looked at the video unimpressed, hands on her hips and a cocked eyebrow.

" _This_ is the great Voltron took down Zarkon Diamond?" she asked in an unenthusiastic tone. "I didn't they'd be so....," the feed showed Voltron nearly falling off the platform, "lame."

"I know. I wanted to get into a real fight with them!" Zethrid punched a fist into her palm. "I bet I could have overthrown their overgrown body if I were sent down there!"

"I hate to say it, but I'm confused, too," Acxa said. "If Voltron is this weak now, why did we bother trying to get them there if we weren't going to really fight them."

Lotor looked amusingly at the screen from his throne, his face rested against his hand.

"There were two purposes for this mission. The first was, of course, to retrieve the chemicals from Bria's stronghold. And the second was to confirm my suspicions." He motioned for Acxa to use the keyboard. When she did, she pulled up a file on Voltron. "You see, Voltron was only spotted recently. Months after the fight with Zarkon. I found it suspicious that a fusion that holds so much hope for the universe would take a vacation from saving planets. After all, this would have been the perfect opportunity for them. That's when it occurred to me: this Voltron is not the same as before." 

Lotor pulled out the video feed from his arm rest, zooming in on the parts of Voltron's body that contained gems. 

"Voltron only has four visible gems. But reports have stated it has had five."

"What do you think this means, my Diamond?" Acxa looked to him in concern.

"It means that we're fighting a new Voltron. One that's had a replacement for whatever gem is lacking. I suppose it's fair. They have to worry about a new Diamond now. But what I find most fascinating is that Voltron is now just like us." A full view of Voltron was put up. "A gem that's part organic life." 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Blade convenes at the Castle, giving and receiving some news. Their arrival also signals the start of something new between two gems.

The Marmora gems convened at the castle, startled at the sight of Shiro's new form. Keith led him to the others, Shiro putting himself in front of the red spinel as he sniffed out the Marmora. He calmed down when he got close to Ulaz, stepping back and bowing his head to him. Ulaz used this to examine Shiro's head closer, moving his fur away to take a look at his gem.

"It isn't wise to have him here," Kolivan scolded. "He should be bubbled where he'll be safe."

"He's not going in a bubble!" Keith quickly defended. He sighed, putting himself against Shiro's body. "He hasn't attacked us since we brought him here. Having him here can let us find a way to reverse the effects of corruption. Hunk and Pidge have already been running some tests."

"And have you found anything?" Antok asked.

"We haven't," Pidge answered. "Not yet anyway. But Shiro's a good sport and hasn't given us trouble."

Ulaz released Shiro, allowing the corrupted monster to nuzzle his head against the crook of Keith's shoulder. 

"We were hoping Ulaz here could assist us in finding a cure," Coran twirled his mustache. "Shiro used to talk in great detail of how intelligent the jade was. Or rather is."

The Marmora members eyed one another. Kolivan nodded to Ulaz, who gave a sigh.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to stay for that." He looked back at Shiro regrettably. "There's too much for me to do with the Blade, especially as we aid war-torn planets. I can look over the methods you have come up with while we are here, but I'm afraid that's as far as I can go for now."

Allura looked down, her eyes going glassy before she looked back at them with eyes of empathy.

"I understand." She placed a hand on her hip. "You are free to use the main deck as need be. Once you are finished, we'll go over our next objective."

The Blade members agreed and they all dispersed. However, as Hunk and Pidge were about to lead Ulaz to their lab, Kolivan spoke up again.

"Pidge," he called out.

Pidge turned to him, surprised that he even remembered her name seeing as they had very few interactions.

"I have something for you," he reached into his pocket and handed her a machine that looked like a drive.

She flipped it over, examining its contents until she noticed a button on the side. When she pressed on it, a holographic image appeared that showed footage of a familiar peridot escaping a prison cell.

"Matt," her eyes looked on in shock.

"It was brought over to us by a Blade that recently visited the prison. I believed the description of the peridot you gave me matched this one."

Pidge pressed the button again, the image warping down. She tucked the gizmo in her own pocket.

"Thank you."

She knew what she would do once she was done with Ulaz.

* * *

Lance took Sven to the Earth room to show him more music from his planet. Sven tapped along to the beat of the songs, asking Lance to show him more. As Lance put on the next song, he had them take a seat so that they could catch up on what had been going on since they last met.

"Unfortunately, a lot of my stuff is confidential," Sven admitted. "I can say that I have been to new planets and was given chance to admire them."

"That's cool," Lance put one leg over the other. "Well, we were able to form Voltron with Allura."

"You fused with an organic?" Sven leaned in closer, surprised by the news.

"Yeah, it was weird, but also great!" Lance beamed. "She's like a natural at this. You should see her dancing with us. It's like she's in sync with all of us, even Keith!"

"I never thought it possible."

"Same. Although, I think Coran said something about her inheriting it from her dad who had enough quintessence to do that sort of thing but," he shrugged, "I don't know the boring stuff about it." 

"Not so boring when it does not happen every day."

"I think I'm just more excited that she can fuse with us," Lance sunk into the couch. "She's really good at it. And has been keeping our spirits high since..."

He stopped himself. He focused his gaze on his gem, still intact. His physical form that was in tact.

Sven leaned back, hanging an arm over the the large cushion.

"What happened with Shiro."

"Yeah," Lance sighed. "You know, the sad thing is, I don't think Shiro getting corrupted was the worst thing that happened. I mean, of course I feel bad that he's in that state and I want him to go back to normal." Lance clasped his hands together. "It's what's it's done to us that I think is the sad part. We've accepted that this is Shiro's form for now, but....I think Keith may be taking it harder than anyone else."

"Why say that?"

"Well, he spends most of his free time with him. He doesn't talk to us as much unless it's for training or a mission. And yeah, being our new leader is a lot of pressure, but he doesn't hang around us like he used to." He let his head hit against the cushion. "Shiro was his primary partner. And it's obvious how in love the two remain. But I think we're all drifting apart and-" Lance hung his head low. "I don't know what's gonna happen next. I'm scared that because I don't have a primary partner that I'll be alone, with no one to hang on to."

Sven put his head down to look at Lance.

"Hey, do not worry," he tried to assure him. "This is strange for all of us. But what is important is how you handle everything. You are strong and friendly. I know your friends realize this. They just need time to adjust to change. They would not leave you." 

Lance allowed his eyes to meet Sven's. Sven looked at him with understanding and empathy. He wasn't talking down to him. Or telling him to change himself. He was listening and talking back to him. 

"And if you find yourself alone," Sven opened his hand out, "I am here."

Lance looked down at the open palm and took it in. The two rose from the couch, walking towards the door. It opened, but they didn't step outside just yet. They leaned in to one another for a brief kiss. When they pulled back, they realized how much they liked it. They went in for another kiss, confirming their newfound love.

And all the while, Keith watched in shock at Lance having found another diopside to love.

* * *

Pidge was able to find a lead on Matt's whereabouts based on the image she was given. It didn't take her long after her meeting with Ulaz and Hunk and she immediately begged Keith to let her find him. They already agreed that it would be best to try and train Allura to fuse with more than one gem at a time so that they could work their way up to functioning Voltron again. And Pidge knew that with her lead she would find Matt in no time.

To her surprise, she didn't need to argue with him. Keith agreed to let her go.

"Really?" She looked at him in confusion.

"You have three days to search for him. If you can't find him then, you'll need to come back so we can focus on training," Keith answered without looking at her.

Pidge didn't think it would have been this easy for him to agree. She pounced on him, squeezing him tight.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Keith was dumbfounded by the affection, but ruffled her hair in response.

"Try not to get poofed while your away."

"Mhmm," Pidge released him as she sprinted to her room to gather her things. 

Keith leaned against the wall, summoning his sword and looking at his reflection. He knew Pidge's search for her family was a top priority. She never stopped inquiring about them or looking for clues. But he knew the real reason he was letting her go. It was a selfish reason at that.

He needed to have some space from the group. One less friend to worry about put his mind at ease. He could still practice with Allura and the time limit allowed for Pidge to return if something serious were to happen. He almost wanted to send Lance with her, but then that would have been too obvious.

Instead, he saw the Blade and Pidge off as they prepared to leave. Rover accompanied Pidge to her ship while Pidge and Hunk squeezed their hands together as they said their farewells. Shiro tried to go in the ship with Pidge, but Keith held him back. It was good to see that Shiro retained his protective instinct over all of them. But as he pulled Shiro back, he saw Lance and Sven sharing a knowing look. When the Marmora and Pidge left, Lance smacked a hand over his head.

"Shoot, I forgot to tell Pidge while she was here that I found a primary partner," he complained.

"You what?!" Hunk and Allura circled Lance.

"Is it someone we know?" Allura asked.

"Are they a gem?" Hunk added.

"Yes and yes," Lance answered. "They just left actually."

The amber and Altean gasped. 

"They're a Marmora?!"

Lance smirked. "Mhmm. I bet you can't guess which one."

Hunk and Allura pondered, but Keith broke their thoughts.

"It's Sven," Keith announced.

"Uh....yeah," Lance confirmed. "Way to go, Keith. And on the first try, too."

"I didn't guess!" Keith gritted his teeth. "I....you shouldn't play games with us, Lance." He turned away from the others, almost stomping away from them.

"Keith?" Lance tried to reach out to him. 

Hunk and Allura were just as confused as the lapis lazuli. None of them had pegged Keith to be the jealous type. Shiro followed Keith out of the garage.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge reminisces about her family.

Coming out of the hole, the peridot was excited to start living life. She had her arms raised and fists clenched as she busted out of the earth. She couldn't wait to start her new life on a planet that had so much to offer. But when she made her grand entrance, there was nothing. The confused peridot looked around, even going back through her hole to see if she missed something. There were other holes surrounding hers, so she couldn't have gotten out on the wrong side. Maybe there were instructions she didn't receive. She thought about it, what was already wired into her brain. 

One, she was a gem. A peridot to be precise. Two, as a peridot, she would go on scouting missions and explore this planet and many others beyond the stars. Three, her boss was...she didn't know who her boss was. She knew had to report somewhere, but she didn't know how to get there. The peridot sat down, hugging her legs. She was all alone.

"Hey," a voice called out. 

She raised her head to see another peridot, one that was taller than her and had more of a masculine build compared to hers.

"Sorry I wasn't here earlier when you came out," he crouched down in front of her. "I was supposed to go with the other peridots to the station, but I knew you weren't ready to come out. So I stayed behind and waited for you."

"Won't you get in trouble?" She sat on her knees.

"Yeah, but it's not a big deal to me," he outstretched his hand. "The name's Matt."

"Matt? No it isn't. You're Peridot. And I'm Peridot."

Matt gave a chuckle. "It doesn't have to be. We can make our own names before they assign them to us."

"That's weird."

"It's convenient. Can you imagine if we were in the same room and someone calls for 'Peridot.' We wouldn't know which one of us they'd be referring to."

"Mmm, I guess you have a point. But, I don't know what to call myself."

Matt put a hand on his chin, examining the younger peridot. 

"Hm....I think you look like a Pidge to me."

She groaned. "Seriously? Pidge?"

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"No," she admitted. "But once I come up with a better name, you're gonna have to stop calling me Pidge."

"Fair enough," he stretched his hand again. "Let's work together, Pidge."

Pidge accepted Matt's hand and followed him to their station. He made her feel less alone in a universe she would start to explore.

 

The first time she stepped into a human's house, she wondered if all humans lived in a cozy place as that one. Samuel and Colleen Holt had been matched for Pidge and Matt to live with. It wasn't required for gems to live with humans, but Matt thought it would make for an interesting life. Pidge made sure to be on her best behavior with the pair of humans that were allowing them on their abode. 

"Thank you for your hospitality," she said. "We won't take your kindness for granted."

Sam and Colleen let out a laugh.

"There's no need for formality here, kiddo," he pulled her in with his arm.

"But, I'm not a kid."

"Of course not," Colleen said. "But you are a member of our family now."

"I'll show you to your rooms while the missus whips us up a meal to die for."

"Oh, you don't have to go through that trouble," Pidge stepped away from Sam, shaking her hands. "Gems don't need to eat."

"But eating doesn't hurt us, either," Matt ruffled her hair. "We look forward to what you have to make."

Colleen nodded as Sam led the two green gems up the stairs. Their rooms were barren save for the mattresses and bedding, but Sam told them that they could decorate their rooms as they saw fit. So long as they kept them clean anyway. Knowing that dinner wouldn't be ready for a while longer, he showed the peridots his study where Pidge was blown away by what she saw. He had computers, telescopes, and all sorts of gadgets. Sam showed her one of his favorites, a communicator that he used whenever he was sent to space. 

Matt was more fascinated by the books in Sam's collection, opening one of them and reading through the pages. Sam welcomed them to borrow any of his books in his collection if they promised to return them, giving them a warning that half of those were math books. This intrigued Matt and Pidge further, viewing the math equations as have fun puzzle games for them to solve. His mini library also contained books on gems, making Pidge laugh that it would take forever for humans to fully understand every aspect of gem culture and history. To which Sam responded with, "Well, it's a good thing I started as soon as I could."

They came down for dinner soon after, Pidge digging in to the baked zitti Colleen conjured up for them. She had never realized how good food tasted, but that was only the start of it. After finishing her plate, Colleen served her a piece of vanilla cake with a strawberry on top, making Pidge appreciate the wonders of Earth cuisine more. What was more fascinating, however, was when a big, grey dog came up to her, resting his head on her lap.

It was there that was introduced to Bae Bae, the Holt family dog. He was rather cute, especially when he opened his mouth to her pets. He went over to greet Matt, who was weirded out by the animal, but welcomed the greeting anyway.

What she thought was the couple only being nice to them for a day extended beyond that. They kept showering the gems with kindness and understanding, working alongside and spending leisure time with them. Pidge realized she liked these humans. No, not like. Love. 

She loved them so much. Her attachment grew as she sheepishly asked to call them _Mom_ and _Dad_. Her shyness around them was gone when they told her, "Of course." Matt made it better when he compared himself to a brother and she liked the idea. 

Gems live longer than humans, but she would call them her parents for as long as they lived and she'd have a brother that would be with her for all time. 

 

They were supposed to be together for at least one hundred years. Maybe two hundred if she could find the right medicine to extend a human's lifespan. That's what Pidge rationed. But when news came of her brother and father going missing, alongside a black star diopside that was aboard the same ship, that expectation faltered. This wasn't right. They were supposed to be together. It broke her heart when she had to say goodbye to her mom. Her mom hugged her as tight as she could, almost getting rid of Pidge's physical form with her brute strength. But she eventually let go, knowing that Pidge had the intention of coming back to make their family whole again.

 

 

When Pidge saw him again, he let his hair grow. He had a scar like Shiro, except it was on his cheek. The two embraced, a part of their hearts healed now that she had found him. They were one step closer to making everything right again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't sure if I wanted to write this chapter, partially because I felt that the reunion between Matt and Pidge would have been exactly the same as it was in the show with a gem twist. But then I decided to take a different approach. I decided to use this opportunity to explore just how important her family is to her and why. I know it's brief, but I hope you enjoyed nonetheless.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Allura confronts Keith about his attitude.

Ever since Pidge left, there was a lingering tension in the air. The rest of the team continued to practice fusion, mainly focusing on coordination with Allura's fusions that consist with three to four people. But Keith was even more closed off than before and no one was entirely sure why. They respected his desire for space, but it got in the way when they needed answers that only a leader could give. It was worse when they discussed their plans and Keith dismissed any of Lance's ideas for what they would do next. Lance had taken it as Keith being his usual self, but Allura could see there was more animosity in the way Keith turned him down.

One by one, they tried to approach him, but all he did was evade them or make up some task he needed to get done. Hunk and Lance were more reluctant to question Keith on his distance, but Allura was getting tired of it when his attitude started effecting their training.

She managed to find Keith in the simulation room as usual. The setting was different from before; it didn't resemble the Earth's deserts at all. Instead, it resembled a forest area covered in the night sky. Keith kept a controlled flame around Shiro, showing off the blaze with a smile as he noticed Shiro looking at the element in fascination. 

"Keith."

Keith tensed up. He withdrew the flame.

"Is it something important?" He asked without turning to her.

"Very." 

Allura sounded serious. He gave her his attention, although he felt she was going to address a problem within the castle that could easily be fixed. If it had been an emergency, she would have sounded more panicked, but her pose and tone was that of someone ready to fight. A good spirit to have in battle. Not so much inside your own domain.

"Well? What is it?"

"You," Allura said immediately. 

"Me? What about me?"

"You've been acting cold, Keith!" Allura scolded. "And we're all worried about you."

"Allura, I am not a child. You don't have to worry, I'm fine. My gem is fine-"

"This isn't about your gem," Allura shook her head in disbelief. "It's about pushing yourself away from the rest of us."

"Because I've been busy taking on the leader role-"

"You've been busy with whatever's on your mind." Allura took a deep breath. "Look, you don't have to tell us what's wrong, but you can't let your frustrations out on us, either."

"How exactly have I been letting my frustrations out?" Keith shouldn't be engaging with her. He'd let her answer and then he'd walk away. 

"You shut down around us. You'll only fuse with Lance if you're already fused with me or Hunk. You let Pidge leave off on her own. How are we supposed to take that, Keith?"

"I thought you guys wanted Pidge to find her family."

"Of course we do. But I find it highly suspicious that you decided now would be a good time to send her off. Especially with how you've been treating Lance lately."

"You know he and I don't actually hate each other," Keith rolled his eyes. 

Allura couldn't believe how the red spinel was twisting this around.

"And you know that's not what I meant." She crossed her arms. "Lance hasn't done anything wrong and yet you're treating him as if he committed a crime against the team. He doesn't deserve that and we don't deserve to be closed off from you."

Keith clenched his fists, eyes shaking.

"I don't need you to lecture me, Allura. I'm not a child!"

"Then stop acting like one!"

"Why?! Because I want everyone to leave me alone, that makes me a child! Because I spend my time with the one I love most, that makes me a child?! Say it! Say that it's because you're getting jealous that I'm spending more time with Shiro!"

"Shiro has nothing to do with this!"

"HE DOES WHEN LANCE CHOOSES ANOTHER DIOPSIDE REPLACE HIM!"

Shiro got on his feet, quickly moving himself next to Allura and looking down intensely at the red spinel. Keith stumbled back, shocked at Shiro's sudden movements, but more surprised by how disappointed his love looked at him. 

Allura then knew what this was about. Shiro may not have been Lance's primary partner, but they all loved each other nonetheless. He must have seen Lance and Sven getting close. And considering how similar the diopsides looked, he didn't want anyone to replace Shiro in their hearts. 

She reached a hand out for him, but he turned himself away from her. His body was shaking. He was sniffing to hold back tears. Allura allowed him some room, but continued the conversation.

"You know Lance would never replace Shiro," she told him. "None of us would." She let her arms fall down. "But he didn't have someone to lean on the same way you lean on Shiro or even how Hunk and Pidge lean on each other."

Keith gave her a side-look. There was no maliciousness in his look, but he did look scared. Shiro sat up and eased up his own judgmental look. 

"Shiro chose you to be our leader for a reason. And I believe you can lead us to great things. But first and foremost, we need you as our companion. We care about you. And Shiro. And part of caring for you both is moving on from our plights." Allura put a hand to her chest. "We aren't giving up on finding a way to reverse Shiro's corruption. But we aren't going to give up on our duties to protect the universe, either. Or to give up on one another. So please, let us help you."

She didn't know what else to say. She hated seeing him like this. Seeing any of her friends feel vulnerable. But they needed to let out their emotions if they were going to make it through whatever obstacle comes their way. Keith shuddered, before turning his whole body to face hers. He took a few steps forward, looking at her in the eyes. Without warning, he wrapped her arms around her. 

She hugged him in return, rubbing his back. Shiro joined in as well, pressing his head against their forms. When they let go, Keith agreed to apologize to Lance.

 

Keith had spotted Lance in the lounge and called out to him. Lance looked up, expecting Keith to give him an order. Instead, Keith sat across from Lance, folding his hands together and apologized for pushing Lance away.

"I know I can be a bit of a jerk and I'm not always good at saying how I feel," Keith said. "But I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions and I shouldn't stop you from having a partner of your own." 

"Huh?" Lance asked in confusion.

"It's a bit of an explanation on my part," Keith leaned his head back. "But you don't need to ask for our permission to be with Sven. And I'm sorry I treated you so coldly over it. I don't expect you to forgive me, but I hope you'll give me a chance to redeem myself. As a leader and as a friend."

Keith hid his face again. He didn't think he could say all of that. Lance grabbed his hand, caressing his gem.

"Hey, no hard feelings," he reassured Keith. "I should have told you when I started having feelings for him. So I guess we're even on that part."

They gave each other a smile when an incoming message went through. It was from Pidge and she was returning to the castle. With Matt.

* * *

Everyone awaited in anticipation as Pidge came in the garage. Hunk was jumping from where he stood as if he had been waiting years to see her again. Her ship opened, Rover being the first to come out, Lance saying a hello to the drone and then two peridots coming down. Hunk couldn't wait any longer as he ran up to her, and she ran back to him, letting him pick her up and swing them around. He covered her in kisses and the team was expecting them to fuse until he set her down so she could introduce Matt to them.

"Everyone, this is my brother, Matt," she gestured to the other peridot. Then she gestured her hand to the rest of the team. "Matt, these are my friends. Coran, Hunk and Lance."

The guys said their hellos, with no introductions needed for Keith.

"It's been a while," Matt told the red spinel.

"Too long," Keith replied to the peridot, the two of them grabbing each other's hands and shaking on it. 

Then Pidge introduced Allura.

"And this is Princess Allura of Altea. She's been generous enough to let us use her castle as a base and can even fuse with us! She's not even a gem, how amazing is that?!"

Matt's eyes couldn't believe what he was seeing. A beautiful fleshling with incredible hair, lovely skin, and such enamoring eyes. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Matt," Allura spoke, and it was if Heaven itself was speaking to Matt. "I'm so glad you're with us now."

"It's an honor to meet you, Princess," Matt went in and held her hand in his. "I am but your humble servant, so all you need to do is ask and you shall receive."

Pidge laughed, although Allura gave Matt a hearty smile. Keith wondered if Allura would find a partner for herself, but knew that no matter how upset he was before, it certainly didn't compare to how jealous Lance was coming off at the moment. 

"Don't you have a partner now?" Keith whispered.

"I do, but he's not here and Allura is way too good for that guy," Lance whispered back. "I'm just saying."

Keith shook his head, but everything came to a pause when Matt took notice of Shiro, who had been hidden by the group. Shiro got up to his full height (in that form), looking at Matt expectantly.

"Is that-" Matt looked in awe at the corrupted Shiro. Pidge had tried to tell him before they got there, but she couldn't quite tell him the extent of Shiro's state. Matt took an easy step forward. "Does he...remember me?"

"We're not sure what he remembers," Hunk answered honestly. "It seems like he at least recognizes us, but," he stopped himself, not wanting to either disappoint or get the hopes up of Matt.

Matt pointed at himself.

"Uh...you may not know me, but I'm Matt. Your subordinate. I'm glad to see you again, sir." Matt gulped.

Shiro stretched out his neck, pulling Matt in and using one arm to hug him. Matt didn't think corrupted gems could still give hugs, but he wasn't complaining. He hugged him back.

"We're gonna get him back," Keith told Matt. "No matter what."

Matt gave a nod and Keith allowed Pidge to show Matt around the castle, but told her she would need to get on to training with them again. After all, they needed to the five of them to form Voltron. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I could have ended the chapter right when Pidge returned, but I felt that the part after would have been too short for a chapter. I hope you guys don't mind. Also, I didn't say this in the previous chapter, but Matt's gem is on his forehead.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one's certain what Lotor Diamond has planned, but that doesn't mean he's a sitting duck.

Matt got in contact with some rebel forces, a communication line opening up between the castle, a rebel base, and a Marmora ship. The rebels announced their establishments of safe havens for refugees, which also meant new ports for the castle to land on should they need to convene with allies. There were still many planets that required liberation, but progress was being made towards freedom from the Galra. 

"I guess now we should find out what planet Lotor Diamond plans to attack next," Keith said. "He's probably going to reclaim some of these planets under the Galra name."

"Have your agents reported any upcoming attacks or invasions?" Allura asked.

"No," Kolivan answered. "All we've been informed is that Lotor Diamond has been spotted going into gem bases and hubs. It might be possible that he will steal something from another planet like Bria." 

"What happened in Bria?" Matt asked.

"He started firing at one of its cities before leaving with a crate of some chemicals." Keith crossed his arms. His brows furrowed at the memory of letting him get away. "The locals weren't even sure why he'd go after those. The Galra never showed an interest in them before, even when Bria was under their thumb."

"How strange."

"We must remain alert," a rebel leader with lizard-like qualities responded. "We can't allow Lotor Diamond to bring harm to other planets."

"And we won't. I'll make sure of it."

* * *

Lotor leaned back against his throne, closing his eyes as his council did a routine check-up of the ship from their stations. Ezor sighed loudly, only to be met with a glare by Acxa that told her to get back to work. 

"We'll do something fun soon enough," Lotor replied. "We shouldn't be far from the lab."

"But we've been travelling forever! Can't we make a stop at a moon base or something?" Ezor whined.

"Can I at least test out the canons?" Zethrid asked.

"We are almost there," Lotor reiterated. "And Zethrid, you know I don't want us blasting away at nothing when there's no target to hit."

Ruby and Jasper sighed heavily in unison. Kova yawned, stretching himself on Narti's shoulder as he was met with a gentle caress from his mistress. 

"My Diamond," Acxa overlooked her shoulder as her hands hovered over the keyboard of her station. "There is an incoming message from Haggar."

Lotor straightened himself up. 

"Let her through."

With more strokes, a small screen popped up from Lotor's arm rest, Haggar on the other side. He felt annoyed by her critical gaze from her hooded form. He knew how close she was to Zarkon Diamond, her diamond, so it was expected that she'd have high expectations of him. But he was his own life form and sooner or later she was going to have to accept his way of ruling.

"My Diamond, where are you?" She dared to ask.

"I am busy, Witch," he replied coldly. "Do you have something of importance to report?"

"Your empire needs you back on New Daibazaal. More planets are being taken from us and you have not sent support for colonies to fight against the rebels."

"Our armies are strong. They do not require my constant supervision to do their best. What would you have me do? Engage in needless violence when there is much more for me to do?"

"You are a Diamond. Your gems are relying on you. Looking to you for answers. And expecting you to weed out our weak forces."

He filed a nail with his thumb. Closing his eyes, he took a moment to compose himself.

"You are being needlessly paranoid. The Galra are strong, not just in brute force, but in other areas as well. Gems perform to the best of their abilities. If losing one or two colonies happens despite their best efforts, I will not punish them for it. It just means we need to focus our efforts on other areas instead of wasting time on planets that will serve us no purpose."

Haggar narrowed her gaze.

"You and I know very well you were trained better than this. Zarkon Diamond never abandoned his kind as you are doing. Perhaps it was because he was a true diamond."

Lotor slammed his hands on the armrests before standing up, carrying the hologram in his hand with an intent to crush it in his palm.

"How dare you speak to your Diamond in such a way?!" 

Lotor gritted his teeth. His concierge shuddered in their stations. They dared to give one another concerning looks, Zethrid and Ezor turning to Acxa who was unable to hide the fear in her eyes. Narti had Kova jump in her arms, the cat peeking above her shoulder blade so that his mistress may see the conversation unfold. 

"I AM A REAL DIAMOND!" A purple aura came out of his hands before placing his left one over his gem. "This is your proof that I have complete control over gemkind. Proof from the alchemist, Honerva, who worked with Zarkon to create me." Haggar's expression didn't change, but he could see her taking a step back. The aura dissipated from his grasp. "Remember your place, Witch. Zarkon Diamond may have allowed you to speak as you wished to him, but I will not tolerate such blatant disrespect." He sat back down on his throne. "And neither will I tolerate such accusations that I have abandoned my own kind." He leaned back against his seat. "I tire of this exchange. This conversation is over." 

With a single tap, the image of Haggar disappeared. He could sense the others concerns. He wasn't oblivious to their fear. But he also didn't want them to be afraid of him. Never them.

"My Starlights, I'm sorry," he managed to breathe out. "I did not mean to yell in front of you."

"We understand, my Diamond," Acxa continued her check-ups on her end. 

"Yeah, we've been out here for such a long time," Ezor stretched her arms. "Any of us are bound to be a little cranky."

Lotor sighed in relief. He gave a soft, genuine smile. They were better to him than they needed to be. He looked out the ship to see them passing by some asteroids.

"Zethrid, would you like to test our cannons now?"

"I would love to, my Diamond!" Zethrid eagerly pushed down one of the buttons and fired away.

Ezor strutted over to Zethrid, pointing to certain asteroids for her to shoot at and being in awe with every explosion. Narti couldn't help but join in the fun, allowing Kova to jump off and climb atop the jasper's station. Ezor leaned against Narti, grabbing her hand as the three were having fun. Acxa allowed them to enjoy themselves, knowing that the ship was still in top shape. Still, she couldn't help but glance back at Lotor, who merely tried to distract himself with their amusement. Acxa felt sympathy for him. Being half-gem, even a half-Diamond, didn't make one immune from the critique of gem society. They were still outliers, no matter what. But as long as they stuck together, they would be safe. 

 

After arriving at the lab on one of their bases, they delivered more chemicals and parts for the peridots and jades to use. A jade hybrid of a species with tentacles for limbs presented Lotor Diamond with a case of gem shards. His entourage couldn't help but shudder at the sight, even if they knew that such a fate would never befall them.

"We retrieved these from Zarkon Diamond's court, my Diamond," the part jade reported. "They are much older, having been shattered eons ago."

"That is unimportant," Lotor picked up one of the shards. "According to the Witch's research, these should still maintain pieces of the gems'....DNA so to speak. Imbue them into the chamber. I want to see how much life is left in them."

The jade hybrid gave a bow before taking the case away. Lotor and his court observed everything behind a glass wall, seeing the scene play out. Lotor put a hand over the glass, enthralled at the sight of each gem shard doing what they could to put themselves together. Despite the silhouettes of lights forming a limb or two, none of them came into full form. Another scientist approached Lotor.

"Apologies, my Diamond."

"No need," he raised his hand. "Inject the chemicals into those chambers. I want to see how far we can go with this."

He let his hand drop from the glass. 

"Hm....perhaps we could use more surveillance to further this research." A wicked smile crossed his cheeks. "Starlights, why don't we go and visit one of our colonies? I do believe Voltron is expecting to see us and it would be rude to stand them up. I believe they've been given plenty of time to exercise their power."

"Why are you hoping for them to be stronger?" Ezor tilted her head.

"Because I want to see how strong they can really become. Narti, would you be so kind as to point us into the right direction?"

Narti's tail waved around before grabbing a peridot hybrid that was walking by. Before the peridot hybrid could say more than "what," Narti pressed her palm against their back. Their eyes lost all soul and glowed.

"The gems and Altean that fuse into Voltron will be on Gryzabu."

"An Altean?" Acxa's interest was piqued.

Lotor's smile grew more.

"And what business will they have there?"

"They will defend the denizens from us as we launch a false attack on them. Gryzabu holds an old kindergarten prior to the Gem Civil War. If you allow us to fight them as a distraction, you will extract the minerals you need."

"And there you have it. Let's go."

Narti released the peridot hybrid from her grasp. She followed the rest of the group out of the lab and back onto the ship. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Voltron gems face off against Lotor Diamond's entourage, who are focused on something more than just fighting.

Hunk grew enormous in size as he lifted pieces of heavy metal to surround the heart of Gryzabu, Pidge on one shoulder manipulating the metal to come closer together and be in line while Keith was on the other shoulder, shooting out flames to make it come together. It wasn't much of a shield, but Gryzabu's technology for defenses had been stripped away when the planet was colonized, leaving it with prime age walls that could probably be taken apart easily if hit with the right amount of force. But if Keith wanted to face Lotor Diamond head on, he would need to have some kind of protection for the denizens. It would be a failure on their part if anything happened to them. 

What came out of the clouds was not the floating, purple arm, but rather a magenta colored foot whose big toe readied a laser aimed at one of the weaker points of the makeshift shield. Luckily, Lance was down below and formed a giant ice wall in front of the weak point. Keith finished the last of the attachments, giving the okay for Hunk to shrink back down. Allura waited down below them, close to Lance as they all faced the giant foot.

From the ankle of it came an opening that revealed the four gem hybrids of Lotor Diamond's court. A jasper hybrid. A ruby hybrid. A sapphire hybrid. And a blue spinel hybrid, who was at the forefront of the group. Keith wasn't sure why, but there was something familiar about that one. It was too bad that whatever familiarity may have been there was mute when a laser gun appeared before her arms and she started firing at them.

Pidge used specially made metal that was not a part of the shield to protect the team from her blasts. Ezor performed acrobatics as she threw pulled kunai after kunai out of her gem with the intent of hitting one of them. Lance created ice shards to deflect those weapons, going head to toe with her. Meanwhile, Zethrid took hold of a giant hammer and swung it down and in every direction. Allura decided she would be the one to handle her, using a lasso to try and get a hold of the weapon. 

As Pidge did her best to continue protecting them from the blasts, she was oblivious to Narti, who crept up behind her. Hunk called out to her, but the sapphire hybrid swung her tail at the peridot, only for the amber to push her out of the way and protect her. He was lifted easily by the sapphire hybrid, only now realizing how lifeless her face appeared. 

Zethrid's arms shook as Allura tried to pull her in, her hands burning up holding the rope.

"Heh, gotta admit. You're pretty strong without a gem. Consider yourself a worthy opponent, despite your obvious loss," the jasper let go of her hammer as she pulled out her own laser gun that was attached to the side of her thigh. 

Allura dodged Zethrid's blasts, but dropped her lasso in the process. Keith was in the middle of a duel between himself and the blue spinel hybrid, when he took a short glance at Allura. Acxa took his distraction to her advantage as she pushed him back and on the ground. She aimed her weapon at him, but she took her time to shoot. Keith was confused, but didn't want to wait for her to fire, so he rolled away and towards Allura. Allura helped him up, giving one another a knowing nod as Keith's gem glowed and their bodies intertwined to become one. 

Kallura picked up the lasso that was dropped and engulfed it in flames, swinging it in the air before striking it down like a whip at the feet of the jasper. 

Hunk was struggling against the sapphire and every time Pidge tried to come in for an attack, she was quick to put him in between them. Pidge had to think carefully about her strategy considering her opponent had future vision despite her lack of eyes. But how do you make a plan when your opponent will know all possible outcomes? That's when her back bumped into Lance's, who was still firing water and ice at his ruby opponent. Without a second thought, Pidge scooped Lance's hand.

"Let's make this fun," she looked up at him.

He gave her a nod with a smirk on his face, squeezing her hand as they became Pidgance. Pidgance grabbed one of the ruby's flying kunai, throwing it right back at her before crawling up to her and pulling down her hair. Pidgance threw the ruby right in the sapphire's direction, who immediately dropped Hunk upon hearing her teammate's screams coming towards her. Pidgance crawled right down to catch Hunk on their back. 

"Thanks for saving me," Hunk sighed in relief, hands on their waist.

"Of course," they patted his head. "Anything for my favorite amber," they squished his cheeks, giving him a teasing smile. When they dropped their hands from his face, they turned their attention to Kallura, who was still swinging their fiery whip at Zethrid, even managing to hit her at the edge of her foot, until Acxa pulled her away.

Pidgance and Hunk stood by Kallura's side, all of them linking hands to become Voltron. Voltron wielded dual swords, swinging them at their opponents. Zethrid looked ready to keep the fighting going, summoning her hammer again, only to show a baffled look at Acxa. As Voltron swung their swords, Zethrid slammed her hammer down, causing a small quake. However, as Voltron paid attention to the shaking and tried to grab Acxa and Narti before they could enter their foot ship, they failed to notice Ezor having camouflaged herself and dismantling a piece of the shield as she threw something unknown inside.

It wasn't until Zethrid extended the handle of her hammer so that she could jump on the surface of the ship did they see Ezor running across it, giving them a wink and pointing behind them. They saw the opening and immediately rushed inside the shield. There was a panic from the residents upon seeing the shield being taken apart and the gem fusion rushing in. Voltron placed their hands all over the ground until they spotted what a spherical looking item. They grabbed it and ran as far from the shielded area as they could. They put the assumed grenade close to their chest, a mini explosion going off against them.

It felt like a slight sting to the giant fusion. They pulled their hands away from their chest, to see the grenade looking more like a hatched egg with a banner containing a message: 

_That Got Your Attention._

The end of that sentence contained an image of a diamond. Voltron pushed themselves up to run back to the shielded area. They opened the shield all the way open, but were relieved to find Gryzabu's people safe. They questioned Gryzabu's king, asking if there were any towns nearby that they should know about. After the king affirmed that the next town was much too far away to be affected by any new attacks. 

 

Voltron surveyed the area, trying to keep it together in case Lotor Diamond's entourage came out again. They gave Coran a call, asking Coran to check for any anomalies in the planet's surface. As they waited for Coran to get back, they rested against a hill. A herd of flying manatee-looking creatures passed by the fusion, making soft calls passed by them, some being so closed to their head and shoulders. It was a rare moment of tranquility for them. A moment of simply admiring the horizon. A horizon of pink hills and mint bodies of water. A wind raised small strands of their hair and they drew little figures on the sand beneath them. 

They replicated each of their gem shapes, placing it all to form a V-shape. But when they drew the spinel figure at the center, they drew a duplicate away from the V. That's when something occurred to them. Occurred to their Keith part of them.

"Wait," they whispered. Keith's memory recalled the figure that had been at the facility full of corrupted gems. 

The castle came by at the right moment.

 

Voltron wasted no time entering the castle. Coran was startled to say the least, nearly falling over at seeing Voltron inside.

"Good heavens!" He jumped. "You must all be getting along well if you're still fused."

"No time, Coran," Voltron got on their knees, facing the Altean man closer. "You know more about gem society and everything else better than I do."

"Oh, well," Coran rubbed his chin, "I suppose I am an expert at these sorts of things-"

"What do you know about Gryzabu and the Galra?"

Coran pondered, tapping his cheek. 

"Well, if memory serves me right, Gryzabu is a Galra colony-"

"We know that, Coran."

"No, not an Era 2 colony," Coran corrected. "There was a kindergarten here, prior to the gem civil war."

"A kindergarten...," Voltron thought to themselves.

As they were in thought, Shiro woke up from his nap and immediately ran into their arms. Voltron stumbled over and nearly unfused, but they stayed together when they saw how affectionate Shiro was with them. It was odd for them, their individual components being used to having the roles reversed. But here, Shiro fit perfectly in their arms. He was still big, being the size of their torso, but they could hold him close.

The moment didn't last as they knew they had to find out more information about the kindergarten. They unfused and Keith gave everyone orders to find out as much about this kindergarten as possible. He'd do his part as well by scouting the location with Pidge. 

 

After much research, they discovered that the kindergarten on Gryzabu was no ordinary kindergarten. It was a kindergarten meant to grow gems based on the hierarchy, starting with the lowest caste of pearls and leading up to a diamond creation. It was meant to be the start of a higher Diamond Authority, one where Zarkon would lend some power and influence to those that could handle the responsibilities of overseeing gem society. But Zarkon Diamond couldn't create another diamond in that kindergarten. And by the time he had found the right source, the gem civil war occurred and he refused to make another diamond that would cause more of a roar. 

They weren't sure what Lotor Diamond wanted out of that kindergarten. They were grateful he hadn't actually done anything to the planet. Coran ran tests that checked the planet's core and atmosphere, clearing any signs of a disturbance within the planet. But what Lotor Diamond was up to remained a mystery.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hunk feels sad when he realizes he doesn't have as much of a history with Shiro as the rest of the crew.

Hunk kept himself busy in the kitchen. He had been meaning to try new recipes from planets they had recently released from Galra reign. As he whisked away, he saw Shiro coming in, sitting down by Hunk's side. The amber smiled, setting the bowl down to pet Shiro's tuft of white hair. Fur. Whatever it was. 

"Glad you came by," Hunk scratched behind his ear. "It was getting pretty lonely in here."

He let go and got back to whisking.

"Pidge normally keeps me company, but she's been too focused on catching up with Matt and I think they're in the middle of a game or something. And Lance is practicing fusion with Allura and Keith. Coran is....I don't know what he's doing. Probably important Altean stuff." He poured contents of the bowl on the baking sheet evenly and carefully. When it was all set, he placed it in the oven and set the timer on. He looked over his shoulder to see Shiro staring at him. 

What exactly was Shiro thinking? Did Shiro even have cohesive thoughts? He knew corruption was more of a mental state, which meant Shiro's line of thinking wasn't what it would normally be. From their observations, he did have some idea of his allies. Of the people who care about him.

And where did Hunk fall in that?

He stretched his arms.

"Well, it's gonna be a while. Waiting is usually boring when you have no one to spend time with. You must be bored, too."

Hunk leaned his arms on the counter top. Shiro kept following him. Honestly, there was an odd cuteness to Shiro. He was practically an overgrown puppy. Although Hunk would keep arguing that Shiro was a kaiju. 

"Back on Earth, I had a human family I spent a lot of time with. The patriarch and I would fix and build all sorts of machinery together. The matriarch taught me the value of spending my time wisely with those I love." He sunk his head in his arms. "I wish she would have taught me how to spend my time when no one's around." 

Shiro gave a humph, swinging his tail on the floor.

"Of course, I didn't mean to insinuate that you're no one," he waved his hands in defense. "You're valuable to so many people. To everyone in this castle. And that includes me."

His face frowned.

"But I'm not as close to you as everyone else." His eyes shifted down, his hands clutching to the counter. "Keith's your special someone. You've known Pidge and Matt since forever. Lance has always looked up to you. You even managed to tug at some heart strings with Allura and Coran can talk to you about your time before the Gem Civil War. Me on the other hand..." 

Hunk let his hands fall to his sides.

"I'm the person you have to worry about the least." He gave a half-hearted shrug. "I don't have history with you like everyone else. I...I bet you don't have a lot of memories about Shunk. About me."

He hugged himself, holding back the tears that threatened to escape his eyes. It hurt. It hurt that his good friend who was suffering would never recognize him. Shiro recognized Keith, Allura, and probably Pidge, too. And every day he was recognizing Lance a little more. And Coran was often at the castle with him so even if memories with him were scarce, they would have undoubtedly formed a new, meaningful friendship. Meanwhile, Hunk didn't have previous history with Shiro. And he was often out on missions with the other gems and Allura. 

He was being selfish. He wanted to mean something to Shiro. More than just a teammate he works with to save the universe.

For someone who lacked organs and intestines, he clutched his stomach to soothe the deep pit that was within.

 

Shiro rested his head on Hunk's shoulder. He nuzzled against the amber, a soft purr vibrating against his body. 

"Shiro?"

Shiro pulled his head back so he could lick Hunk's cheek. 

Hunk smiled, embracing the corrupted gem.

"You're sweet."

Shiro's wings engulfed Hunk's body. Hunk looked over Shiro's shoulder at the oven. He still had plenty of time to wait for the food to be ready. 

"Let's go somewhere more comfortable."

Hunk led Shiro to the lounge area, which was right around the corner from the kitchen. They laid across the couch, Shiro resting on Hunk's lap. Hunk's eyes grew heavy. He fell asleep to Shiro nuzzling against his stomach.

When the alarm went off, Hunk found it difficult to get up from his seat as Shiro slept soundly on him. He had to shapeshift to slither out and return to the kitchen. After he placed the tray on the stove, he grabbed a couple of treats and brought them back to the lounge area. Shiro had his head perked up at the smell, Hunk tossing one in his direction. Shiro's jaw was wide open to grab the disc-shaped food and he chewed happily to it. Hunk took a bite as he returned to his seat, petting the top of Shiro's head. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A brief chapter, but an idea I've wanted to share for a while. Really wanted to show more of Hunk and Shiro's relationship post corruption. I hope you this was still a decent read.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A Diamond visits a base he had left long ago.

Rather than head to the base where the gem shard experiments were being conducted, Lotor piloted the ship to a colony further away than even his own territory. None in his entourage had any idea where he was headed, simply following the lead of their Diamond. They spotted a moon base, but it wasn't in any of the registries. Not only that, but the planet it was meant to rotate was long dead.

"My Diamond, what is this place?" Ezor looked out beside Narti. Kova's head rose at the sight.

"This is the original Daibazaal. Although the planet was destroyed, its moon was kept intact and in turn the moon base kept running. For a little while anyway."

"Wouldn't such information be in our systems?" Zethrid asked.

"It was classified. Only very few personnel ever knew the base was functioning. If there's one admirable thing about Zarkon Diamond, it's that he knew how to keep things under wraps."

The ship made a landing on the moon, which for some strange reason had plant life on the surface. All that really meant for them was that they could exit the ship without space suits. They exited the ship, with Lotor leading the way to the base. He pressed a hand on one of the controls and the door opened. 

The inside was dreary. Weeds popping out of the cracks, rust within the strongholds. Diamond patterns filled the ceiling and floor. His entourage stayed close to one another. Kova was the only one to move ahead of the group, the only one who knew where Lotor Diamond wanted to go. He stopped in front of a door and pawed at it. Lotor smiled at him.

"Yes, I know it's been eons since you last saw her."

"Her?" Zethrid and Ezor looked at one another with perked eyebrows.

Lotor opened the door and lights turned on. It appeared to be a child's bedroom. Violet wallpaper with golden diamonds laying on top of each other. A small, but comfortable bed that was levitating above the floor with floating stairs leading to it. A toy chest next to a closet and a computer. Toy weapons hanging on the wall, facing a bookshelf that was right across from it. Kova jumped next to a blue disk on the floor and meowed. Lotor crouched down and pressed on the buttons on the floor. He stood up as a hologram popped out.

The generals except Narti had their mouths opened. Before them was an Altean woman with a smile on her face.

"Lotor, it's good to see you again. Tell me, how long has it been?"

She spoke to him so casually. She didn't bow or salute him in any way. 

"Much too long, mother."

"Mother?" Acxa stood behind Lotor.

Lotor turned to her and the rest of his entourage.

"Everyone, this is Honerva. Or at least, an AI of Honerva. Honerva was the one who led the project that brought me here. She infused her DNA in my incubation chamber and so I call her my mother."

"It's nice to see Lotor has made some friends," the AI looked up at Acxa. "And ones that are just like him."

"Uh...of course," Acxa saluted. "An honor to meet you as well."

The others followed course and relaxed when the AI raised a hand. It was then that they risked exchanging looks to share their discomfort. 

"Mother, we need your advice. I gathered some minerals from Gryzabu and I plan to mix them in with gem shards. Will the minerals help form a strong bond between the shards or should I extract something stronger?"

"And what are you planning to do?"

Lotor rubs his thumb over his finger. 

"I need to understand how Voltron works."

"Voltron? Your father's fusion?"

Lotor's eyes gazed down at his feet.

"Yes..."

"My son, Voltron is a special fusion. It is a fusion that forms with select few gems and it can be from any combination of gems. I don't doubt you are special, but perhaps you should allow such a fusion to come out naturally."

"Yes, Mother. I know." He looked back at the hologram. "But suppose I could find a fusion similar to that of Voltron? One that is just as strong, maybe even stronger. I am a Diamond, surely that must be possible."

The Honerva AI put a hand on her chin, pondering in thought. 

"I've never thought of that. I lack the data to give you a definitive answer, considering your father has only ever fused with organics ironically enough. And you know your father's views on fusion." She jumped, her eyes glowing as her personal space was flowing with numbers. She then returned to her normal state. "As a Diamond, you will most likely hold a very powerful fusion within you. Even the weakest of gems fusing with you would give you great power."

The violet diamond sighed.

"That means I'll have to try through trial and error?"

"That is correct."

He breathed in. "I suppose that's all I've been doing since the day I was born, huh?"

The girls looked at him sympathetically. Not even one who is half-Diamond is immune to the scrutinize view their gem society has on their kind. 

"You've accomplished so much, Lotor," the AI said with a smile. "You want to learn all there is to know and use that knowledge for the better. I know you can do it if you set your mind to it. You are my son after all."

She extended a hand to touch his face, but she phased right through his body. Lotor could see the outline of her hand, memories of similar touches yielding the same result coming back to him. Kova let out a meow as he stared sadly at the hologram.

"And Kova is here to look after you as well," she glanced down at the cat. 

Lotor nodded. "Mother, this place is unfitting of you. You should come with me."

"I would love to," Honerva pulled her arm back. 

Lotor got down on the floor once more, slipping a drive into one of the compartments. Honerva fizzled out as the drive glowed a hue of blue. He took the drive out and tucked it in his pocket.

"My Diamond, what did you do?" Ezor asked.

"It took me sometime to find the right device, but now my mother does not have to be a prisoner here any longer." 

Kova pawed at Narti's feet, Narti picking him up and setting him on her shoulder. 

"Let's get out of here. We have so much work to do."


End file.
